The story here concerns a (vampire) witch who, in 1630 is sentenced to death along with her male accomplice. Just before dying she vows revenge. Two centruies later, some guys go stumbling around in a decrepit castle crypt and accidentally bring the woman back from the dead, who proceeds to go aroudn feasting upon her
descendants. That's pretty much it as far as the plot goes. Not very original or complex, but that's fine. Where the film really shines though, is in the art direction, set design, and cinematography. They are the real highlight. This was shot in alck and white, and everything looks gorgeous. This has a wonderful atmosphere and mood, and I can definitely see why this is such an influential movie, especially on Tim Burton, who has said it is one of his favorites. This is a nice gloomy gothic chiller, and it's comparable to some of the Hammer films, though this is an Italian film, and often considered one of the best. I'm not sure about all that, but I did enjoy it, and found it to be pretty entertaining. Yeah, the story could be better, and some of the acting is a little over the top (same goes for the dialogue), but maybe that's because I watched the English dub. The performances are okay though, and Barbara Steele (in a dual role) is quite a looker. For what's it's worth, Winona Ryder kinda resembles her a bit, This has some decent special effects for 1960 as well, and some of this must have been rather shocking for its time. I give major credit for the mise en scene stuff, but the film's faults bring the overall rating down to 4 stars. You should still give this one a watch though, especially if you're into old school horror chillers.
September 11, 2011
Top Critic
