The stories of Edgar Allen Poe have inspired some very baroque and chilling films, particularly the Roger Corman - Vincent Price collaborations like The Pit and the Pendulum and Fall of the House of Usher. Even The Simpsons took a terrific whack at Poe's "The Raven" in a halloween episode some years back. But leave it to a trio of European filmmakers, each one as different from the other as possible, to make one of the quirkiest, kinkiest Poe adaptations of all.

Spirits of the Dead (1968) is a trilogy of Poe shorts, each directed by a different auteur, and each segment totally identifiable with its creator: Roger Vadim's Metzengerstein, Louis Malle's William Wilson, and Frederico Fellini's Tobby Dammit. The thread that runs through them is one that runs through much of Poe's work: That nagging sense of guilt, the unstoppable haunt of a conscience, whether it's the raven's caw or the beating of the telltale heart.

In Metzengerstein Jane Fonda plays the sadistic Contessa Frederica, a royal pain who treats her subjects worse than dirt. Part of her misery, however, is spawned by her longing to understand her brilliant, reclusive cousin Baron Wilhelm (Peter Fonda). As an act of vengeance for his ignoring her, Contessa Frederica burns down her cousin's beloved barn, unwittingly causing his own death as well. Mysteriously, one of his horses appears in her castle and she forms a bond with the beautiful animal that will ultimately end in flames. This revenge-reconciliation-justice theme is a Poe staple and Fonda, while her French is atrocious, communicates the viciousness and sadness well. What hurts the segment (although not fatally) is Vadim's trademark incompetence. Few directors have been so successful at being so bad. His staging, cinematography, pacing, and writing are a mess. Still, the story remains intriguing. The segment is also notable for Fonda's increasingly weird wigs, hats, and skin-tight costumes.

From the moment Louis Malle's William Wilson begins it's obvious that we're in the presence of a much finer filmmaker. William Wilson is the story of another wicked character, the harsh, cruel title character, whose life is interrupted early on when he meets another boy with the same name, who puts a stop to his sadism and causes him to get kicked out of school. As he grows (the adult Wilson is played excellently by Alain Delon) he returns to his wicked ways and, while a medical student, kidnaps a young woman with the intention of performing a live dissection on her writhing, naked body for an audience of leering fellow students. The scene has an extraordinarily high squirm factor, especially for an older movie. The glint of the blade, the way it gently but forcefully pushes into her soft flesh, and the look of terror in the girl's eyes all make the scene one of the most memorable I've seen in a while. Once again, however, this other William Wilson appears and foils the main William Wilson's plans, this time getting him ejected from medical school. Finally, Wilson enters a high stakes card game with Giuseppina (Brigitte Bardot in a cheap black wig). His cheating ways lead the game into yet another sick twist. The film is yet another tale of conscience and guilt and, even though the ending is abrupt, it is very effective. Delon's performance as Wilson, Malle's expert direction, and Bardot's brief turn, help the segment reach the same intriguing levels of the first while adding a cinematic flavor that Vadim can't deliver.

The final segment, Frederico Fellini's Tobby Dammit, is only loosely based on Poe, and that's obvious from the start as the setting has been shifted forward in time to include cars and planes. Still, Fellini's trademark visual excess and mentally unstable characterizations help capture the tone of Poe's warped prose. The story brings young actor Toby Dammit (Terrence Stamp) to Rome to appear at an awards ceremony. Once he arrives he encounters all sorts of devilish behavior, including the great satan herself (in a surprisingly original form) and falls into a Poe-like state of waking nightmare. While it is more difficult to sum up Fellini's segment in words than the others, it is a must see for fans of the director. His bizarre imagery and staging is evident here as he washes the screen in bold, deep colors and employs his usual cast of unique and distorted faces. Artistically Toby Dammit is the high point of the film, but it works so well partly because of the journey viewers take through the first two segments.

VIDEO:
The anamorphic widescreen video looks good. There is a decent amount of dirt and a few vertical scratches, but overall it is in good shape. The colors are usually vivid (particularly in the Fellini sequence).

AUDIO:
The French Dolby 1.0 mono track is fine. The mixing has been done very well and voices are clear and crisp. Optional English subtitles are available.

EXTRAS:
There are no extras included.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Spirits of the Dead is a haunting film with many unique images. Even the most flawed segment, Vadim's, functions as a perfect lead in to the others. Fans of Poe, of classic horror, of European films, and of any of the directors or stars, are strongly recommended to seek it out.