This is another entry in the Italian gothic horror cycle of the 60's and like virtually all the others, it has a typically generic storyline. A mad scientist discovers his wife is having an affair and kills both her and her lover, hoping to also claim her large inheritance. Unfortunately for him she has left her estate to her sister and even worse news - the two lovers return from the grave to terrorise him!
I have found that storylines in gothic horror films aren't really the point. While original touches here and there are always nice, its really how well the tropes of the genre are re-presented that it is all about. Atmosphere and imagery is what these films are all about. And this one does display some definite strengths along these lines. It has lovely shadowy cinematography and an agreeable gothic setting. There are some well delivered dreamlike visions, a bit of medieval torture and an extremely good last 15mins, where Barbara Steele looks like the ultimate gothic angel of vengeance. Steele is very good in this and like in the earlier Bava classic Black Sunday, she again has a dual role, allowing her to flex her acting muscles. Of course, the other key ingredient of the successful gothic horror for me, is the gorgeous gothic girl and in this one, aside from Steele, we have the very beautiful Helga Liné as the evil character Solange. Helga and Barbara are, needless to say, real trump cards of this production. But unfortunately, all these positive attributes are undermined somewhat by a lengthy middle section of the film, which involves much melodramatic shenanigans, which amounts to a lot of poorly paced tedium. The supernatural part of the story is sidelined and its not always very interesting at all. Kind of a shame, as it's a film which could have benefitted from shaving off 15mins of this stuff from its slightly excessive runtime. Still, despite all this, there's some great moments in this one, particularly involving Barbara Steele in full-fat gothic splendour.
I have found that storylines in gothic horror films aren't really the point. While original touches here and there are always nice, its really how well the tropes of the genre are re-presented that it is all about. Atmosphere and imagery is what these films are all about. And this one does display some definite strengths along these lines. It has lovely shadowy cinematography and an agreeable gothic setting. There are some well delivered dreamlike visions, a bit of medieval torture and an extremely good last 15mins, where Barbara Steele looks like the ultimate gothic angel of vengeance. Steele is very good in this and like in the earlier Bava classic Black Sunday, she again has a dual role, allowing her to flex her acting muscles. Of course, the other key ingredient of the successful gothic horror for me, is the gorgeous gothic girl and in this one, aside from Steele, we have the very beautiful Helga Liné as the evil character Solange. Helga and Barbara are, needless to say, real trump cards of this production. But unfortunately, all these positive attributes are undermined somewhat by a lengthy middle section of the film, which involves much melodramatic shenanigans, which amounts to a lot of poorly paced tedium. The supernatural part of the story is sidelined and its not always very interesting at all. Kind of a shame, as it's a film which could have benefitted from shaving off 15mins of this stuff from its slightly excessive runtime. Still, despite all this, there's some great moments in this one, particularly involving Barbara Steele in full-fat gothic splendour.