This stands alone at the peak of British horror films, delivering visceral shocks in a dense atmosphere of supernatural dread. It is felicitously located in the labyrinthine canals of an out of season Venice; which lead Donald Sutherland to an unexpected and disorientating conclusion.
It is an intensely felt film, but also intelligent and sensual. Sutherland and his wife (Julie Christie) lose their daughter and try to hide their grief in distraction, he restoring a church in a rather gothic looking Venice, while she pursues a growing obsession with the paranormal. But it is Sutherland who experiences the mysterious and frightening visions.
The remarkable support cast contributes most satisfyingly to the feeling of anxiety: Hilary Mason and Clelia Mantania as the seemingly ubiquitous seers, Ranato Scarpa as an inscrutable detective, and Massimo Serato as the saturnine bishop, who all seem to know much more than they ever say. And the grey, rainy Venice and its churches provide a most ambient, sinister environment.
A flawlessly realised work by the idiosyncratic Roeg and one of the best films ever made in the UK.
This film suffers by having a rather naff title which sounds like a Saturday children's matinee and a production budget that must have been less than 30 shillings. It feels very dated because of it. The plot however is good but the direction and acting are outstanding.