A satisfyingly dark drama which, although visually giving signs of age (the make-up!) and a certain dramatic stiffness on the part of the main players (too often they seemed almost conscious of the cameras) this was a very effective and, in its way, thought-provoking horror exercise.
The musical soundtrack added much with its sense of tense hysteria which was well sustained for the majority of the film – and it was not, aurally, a conventional horror score either given its combination of full orchestra and electronic sounds; an original and very effective combination.
The twisted darkness of the story was very well conveyed. Given the time when it was made, the explicitness had to be only glancingly referenced (and apparently a number of shots had to be removed as so demanded by the censors) but even so, it was surprisingly graphic and explicit. The dark twisted eroticism, which is such a central part of story, was well conveyed within these limitations. The BDSM aspects were referenced and, for those of us who now, were clear and perhaps all the more effective for being so briefly acknowledged. There was a looming and constant sense of dread throughout the film.
There was a good clear narrative thrust throughout the film. I also enjoyed the, largely aural but occasionally visual, references to Poe (and particularly The Tell-Tale Heart) that were sparingly but effectively used.
A nicely grim effort.