Spirits of the Dead (1968)

Just perfect...

Absolutely Fantastic

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This is the only movie with "Hanoi Jane" Fonda that I have in my movie library. One reason is that it's a damned good horror movie. The other reason is that Jane has a "happy ending" in this movie. See the movie and you will see what I mean! For some reason it is only on video in French language with English sub-titles. What happened to the English-dubbed version? All three stories are nice and creepy but "William Wilson" is my favorite. And Bridgett Bardot makes that story even better! "Hanoi Jane"'s story is pretty good too, though it's kinda weird to have her own brother, Peter, playing the man she wants! I won't even talk about the horse part! The last story is well done in Frederico Fellini's usual weird style. Sure worth watching if you like them scary!

It's reassuring to see that other IMDb reviewers have had the good sense to pan this disappointing film, at the risk of blaspheming against the great Vadim, Malle and Fellini.These directors may be talented & artistic in their own right; however in attempting to pass off this hodgepodge of attempted eroticism and 60s chic as *in any way* related to Edgar Allen Poe's stories, they exposed themselves as frauds. Either (A) they didn't bother to read the Poe stories, or (B) they read them but were so transfixed by their own egotistical agenda that they didn't pay Poe any mind.Imagine if Metallica plugged in their guitars, cranked the amps up to 11 and moshed out 3 chords claiming it to be Beethoven's 9th Symphony. That's the feeling you'll get after sitting through this film. If you're a Vadim/Malle/Fellini fan (Metallica), you'll dig it. If you're a Beethoven fan (Poe), you'll puke.METZERGENSTEIN...Here we begin with a bizarre porno version of Poe. OK, "porno" may be a bit extreme haha, but at the very least you have to call it a Barbarella version (including, I don't doubt, some of Jane's outfits coming directly from the set of that scifi romp). Vadim falls into old clichés of his own: the girl lying on a bed being pleasured by some man whilst from the pillow-cam we see the apathy in her eyes; the general lassitude and ennui of a woman who finds no satisfaction in hedonism. Cute stuff, but "Metzergenstein" ain't the place for it. And in addition to the Barbarella outfits and irrelevant erotic themes, Jane Fonda's awful American accent and unconvincing performance as a European countess made this the worst casting since Julia Roberts in that lousy version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.WILLIAM Wilson...Here's a great Poe story about the madness that claims a man when he realizes that he is no longer unique in the world. If you really want to see a fantastic visual interpretation of this theme, go watch Star Trek episode #27 "The Alternative Factor". But here, Malle glazes over that central theme and instead focuses on... any guesses...? yup, eroticism, sadism and debauchery. Ho hum. Brigitte Bardot's role is a complete fabrication to accomplish that end, and once again the director distorts a classic Poe story into a masturbatory catharsis of his own unrequited sexual issues. Do it on your own time, Malle. I thought we're here on Poe's dime.TOBY DAMMIT....The absolute worst of the three and possibly the worst film I've seen since "Staying Alive". At least Fellini showed some tact in changing the title, but his departure from the original plot, theme and humour of the story is so vast, I wonder if he just picked this reel out of his private collection of home movies, stamped "Edgar Allen Poe story" on it and submitted it to this collection. I strained very hard to find any thread of familiarity with Poe's works, but there was absolutely none.The original Poe story ("Never Bet the Devil Your Head") is a short and hilarious dark fable about a man who constantly exclaims "I'll bet the devil my head..." On a foggy morning, the devil takes him up on his offer. The result is the sickest and silliest thing you've ever read. This was Poe, the comedian, at his finest (yes, Poe wrote many comedies. Also check out "A Predicament" and "Devil in the Belfry" if you want a taste of his witty, satirical works).This Fellini version? It's bland, soulless, and not funny at all (unless you consider it funny to see a drunk stumbling over himself for 45 minutes). Here Fellini's egotistical rant is about an artist struggling with the hypocrisy, pretense and mediocrity of cinema. Most of it is set at an awards ceremony where Fellini beats us over the head with sarcasm, cynicism and that classic "sour grapes" attitude that we find in all Fellini films dealing with cinema. Note the sarcastic jabs at "the critics", a recurring theme in Fellini's films. For someone who considered himself above the critics, Fellini sure spent a lot of time talking about them. At any rate, I feel like Fellini just took some outtakes from 8 1/2, spliced them together and sold it as a Poe story. Worst "adaptation" ever.I think I put more effort into typing this review than any of the three directors put into making a Poe movie.

Masters of cinema are not always necessarily masters of Horror, as "Histories Ordinaires" aka. "Spirits Of The Dead" of 1968 proves. This is Poe-based anthology of three parts, directed by Roger Vadim, Louis Malle and Frederico Fellini. All great directors of course, but for a Horror fan it becomes obvious immediately that they were way more biased on the introduction of imaginative artistic elements than on the development of eeriness and suspense. And while the film is certainly not bad, and doubtlessly has its great moments, it sadly lacks the creepy atmosphere and genuine scariness that made other Poe-adaptations, such as Roger Corman's films (starring Vincent Price) such a delight. It may result from ignorance towards the Horror genre, or have other reasons, but while "Spirits Of The Dead" looks good at first, it not a very good Horror film, first and foremost as it simply will not scare the viewer, and furthermore because the atmosphere is simply not eerie enough to do the writings of the great Edgar Allan Poe justice.The first story, "Metzengerstein", directed by Roger Vadim, stars young Jane Fonda as the beautiful, but cold-hearted Countess Frederica, who lives a life of decadence until she suddenly falls for her cousin, the nature-loving Baron Wilhelm (Peter Fonda). After refusing Frederica, Wilhelm accidentally dies in an arson ordered by her, leaving her devastated and strangely obsessed with a black stallion... The first chapter in the anthology offers some impressive photography, very good performances, and loads of sexual undertones. Yet it cannot fully convince, as the script is not very elaborate, and the whole thing makes little sense. Neither is there a real climax.The second story, "William Williamson", directed by Louis Malle, is quite a bit creepier, but, then again, it could have been even a lot better. Alain Delon plays William Williamson, a despicable and sadistic man, whose evil deeds are promptly uncovered by a masked Doppelgänger of the same name. Storywise, this second story, which also stars young Brigitte Bardot as a sexy gambling lady, is arguably the best of the three, and it is also very good in terms of photography. Still, it is not really scary.The third and last story, "Toby Dammit", directed by Frederico Fellini, is the most frequently praised of the three, and it is indeed recommendable, simply for Terence Stamp's terrific performance as the eponymous character. Stamp plays Toby Dammit, a celebrated British actor with a weakness for alcohol, cynicism ad scandals, who tormented by the recurring vision of an eerie girl. When he is invited to the 'Italian Oscars' as an honorary guest, his insanity overwhelms... The third story is primarily recommended for its leading man. Stamp is a brilliant actor, and he really proves his great talent here, as I can not imagine anybody else to fit the role as Stamp does. Stamp's performance, however, is the episode's saving grace, as the story makes little sense and has even less to do with Poe. Fellini was obviously more focused on accentuating his own visual and artistic talent rather than to focus on Poe's writings, eeriness or suspense. All three episodes are narrated in an eerie voice in the French language version, which I saw. Apparently the English language version is narrated by Vincent Price, which makes it interesting to me as Pice is my favorite actor.Overall, "Spirits Of The Dead" is certainly no bad film, and probably even something every true Horror fan should give a try at least, but it is neither a great Horror flick nor a great piece of art in other respects. Fellini, Malle and Vadim deserve their reputations as masters of cinema, yet one might argue that they should leave the Horror genre to the pros. If you want to see great Poe-based cinema I recommend films such as Roger Corman's entire brilliant Poe-cycle (starring Vincent Price) as well as Sergio Martino's Giallo-masterpiece "Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key" instead. In terms of eerie Gothic atmosphere, even Fellini, Malle and Vadim can never reach the greatness of Horror masters such as Corman, Mario Bava or Antonio Margheriti. This "Spirits Of The Dead" is recommendable, but it is not great Gothic cinema, in my opinion.

Spirits of the Dead is an anthology based on the writing of the great Edgar Allen Poe; but anyone going into this expecting something as entertaining as Roger Corman's Poe films is liable to be sorely disappointed as entertainment was clearly not high on the filmmakers' list of priorities. The film is split into three stories; each of them directed by one of the 'greats' of international cinema. While I'm a big fan of any film that bears his name in the writing credits; I do have to admit that aside from a couple of poems, I have not read anything by the great writer. However, from the films I have seen; I do have a very good idea of Poe's style - yet this film really doesn't encompass that at all and in fact, I was really surprised to find that this film is often labelled as 'horror', as while some of the stories in this anthology are slightly unsettling; the film is more of an arty drama on the whole and despite the fact that it's based on Poe's writings; it's not a must see for horror followers.Apparently, there's an American and International version of this film; and unfortunately I saw the International version so I missed the narration by the great Vincent Price. The first of the three stories is entitled "Metzengerstein" and directed by Roger Vadim; from whom the disappointing Blood and Roses is the only film I've seen. The most interesting thing about this story is the casting; with the director's then wife Jane Fonda starring alongside her brother Peter Fonda. The story concerns a cold and unflinching baroness falling in love with cousin. The story doesn't get boring really; but it is very slow. The second story is the most disappointing; directed by Louis Malle; it's a weird story of dual identities, made interesting only by the ending and the casting of Brigitte Bardot. Fellini's segment is the final one and probably the best of the three, although it's not the director's best work by a long shot. Terence Stamp gives a chilling portrayal at least. Overall, this film may appeal to art house fans; although there's better art house films than this and horror fans will get their kicks elsewhere too.