Spirits of the Dead

Spirits of the Dead is a 1968 gothic horror anthology on acid, as three renowned European directors of the 60s - Roger Vadim, Louis Malle and Federico Fellini - interpret three short stories by legendary horror author Edgar Allan Poe.

What’s the deal?

Roger Vadim's Metzengerstein, based on Poe's Metzengerstein: A Tale In Imitation of the German, is set in a futuristic Medieval pleasure palace (if you can imagine that) lorded over by sexual sadist Countess Frederique (Jane Fonda). When she is rejected by her crush Wilhelm (Peter Fonda - yes folks, THAT Peter Fonda), Frederique's minions murder him by burning down his stables. A black horse thus appears at Frederique's castle and she becomes morbidly obsessed with the animal. In Louis Malle's adaptation of William Wilson, French heartthrob Alain Delon takes on the titular role of a genteel sociopath, whose misdeeds are continually scuppered at their climax by his doppelgänger. Finally, Fellini's interpretation of Poe's Never Bet The Devil Your Head - the 37-minute short Toby Dammit - is a creepily surreal masterpiece with a touch of the J-Horrors, following haunted alcoholic thespian Toby (Terence Stamp) as he takes a macabre joyride across Italy.

It’s good!

Spirits of the Dead is a helluva lot of fun. The anthology overall has a rather creepy and unsettling vibe, but it's still camp AF. Take, for example, Jane Fonda's weirdly out-of-place Barbarella-inspired costumes in the orgiastic Roman-Medieval mish-mash that is the Metzengerstein segment. Barbarella, also directed by Vadim and also starring Jane Fonda, was also released in 1968, so I'm not sure if Vadim took this opportunity purely to cross-promote Barbarella for the lolz. Either way, it actually does kinda work. Toby Dammit is literally a total trip. When you compare the original source material to what Fellini actually produced, you've got to wonder how many drugs he took to envision his very lateral interpretation. Saying that, Toby Dammit is by far the best segment of the three, featuring some classic Fellini-isms (women with big hair, nutty costumes) and some absolutely stunning cinematography. He uses some excellent framing and editing techniques to create confusion, disorientation and foreboding; some of the shots are almost replicated like surrealistic artwork. In particular, Fellini's depiction of the Devil is clearly influenced by the malevolent Japanese yuurei, a mythical spirit who also shaped many of the ghostly antagonists of modern day J-Horror. It's a fascinating precursor to characters like Ringu's Sadako - I'd love to know how Fellini drew inspiration for this piece, as it's pretty left field.

What’s wrong with you?

Despite featuring another Vadim lovely, Brigette Bardot, trussed up out-of-character as a Spanish prostitute, the William Wilson segment is probably the weakest of them all. It's extremely faithful to the source material, but lacks the freaky sixties subcultural spin that the other two have so kinda feels out of place. Not to mention, it includes an absolutely woeful and obvious body-for-dummy switch.

Neo-Maxi Zoom Dweeb-ery

As I said before, there's a hell of a lot of nepotism and life-imitating-art going on in Spirits of the Dead. The fictional incestual tension between real-life siblings Jane and Peter Fonda in Metzengerstein amps the 'ew' factor up to 11, but actually adds to the segment's overall sexual boundary-pushing and creepiness. Metzengerstein manages a cheeky shout-out to Vadim/Fonda's other 1968 film, Barbarella, but also probably gave a rare glimpse into the real-life couple's private life. Vadim was a renowned horn-dog and supposedly introduced Fonda into a rather 'European' lifestyle of polyamorous bisexual swinging. Vadim was associated with a number of sixties blonde sex symbols, often blurring the work-life balance as his loves slowly morphed into his muses. Bardot was his first discovery; the pair were in a relationship for five years in the 50s. By the time Spirits of the Dead was released, he had been separated from Bardot for 11 years and been with Fonda for around three. Bardot doesn't look like Bardot at all in this movie - her beauty pales under a harsh dark makeup and an even harsher black wig - but it's weird to see how much Fonda looked like Bardot at this time, particularly considering Vadim's reputation for 'moulding' ingenues. Similarly, Vadim's exes were ever-present in the periphery of the couple's lives, so Bardot's involvement in William Wilson is very ironic. It certainly adds another context to the film.

Truth?

Not only a great little slice of history showcasing a segment of European cinema in the sixties, but a truly unique anthology in itself.

Bender Fist Pumps:

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