(Reviewed by Preppy) - An S&M love story posing as a horror film.  Pretty bad. An evil nobleman Kurt (Christopher Lee) terrorizes his family. He especially gets his kicks by whipping his brother's wife Nevenka (Daliah Lavi)...but she enjoys it! He's then killed off brutally...but Nevenka keeps seeing him. He starts visiting her at night and whipping her and making love to her. And then someone else is murdered. Is it Kurt's ghost or is he really dead? Who cares?

Mario Bava was never my favorite director. I admit his films LOOK great and are drenched with an eerie atmosphere. But the stories usually make no sense and you don't know (or care) anything about the characters. This is no exception. The story is vague and SLOW! There are endless walks through dimly lit corridors to discover....nothing. I don't care how beautiful this film looks...it's DULL!!!!! The acting by most of the cast is dreadful--especially Tony Kendall. He is handsome but very bland.

The movie does have its good points. Christopher Lee is excellent (despite his voice being dubbed in ALL prints) and Lavi does wonders with a badly written role. She's also quite beautiful. And the music score is exquisite (but played much too often).

Seriously--do YOU want to see a 19th century S&M love story shot like a horror film? Not recommended. 5/10