Far better than a late period Universal horror with period melodrama pretensions ought to be. First, it has Charles Laughton, sweating pure evil, and wiggling his little piggy fingers. Secondly, it has some real sadism – not physical but emotional. Thirdly, it does get quite crunchy towards the end with bodies crushed and daggers driven home. It's a shame the young leads are so bland but they're not unlikeable. On reflection, I suspect this might have been a direct influence on some 1960s Italian gothic horror.

I'm going to have to spend some time thinking about this one, and maybe reading 10 or 12 books. I need to reflect on how it fits with The Exorcist, and Witchhammer, and Witchfinder General, and The Blood on Satan's Claw, and… I'll say this for now, though: first, it looks amazing. Black, white, gold and, of course, red. A dream of the past. Secondly, you know how some films feel like experiences you've lived through or events you've witnessed? This is one of those. Profound, all-enveloping, total war on the senses.