First, let's get this out of the way... there are no zombies! No zombie-like characters. No people under the mysterious influence. It's a simple murder mystery with lots of intentional confusion.
Second, let me be pretentious for a minute. The dream scenes were stylish, but overwrought. The plot was thin and padded. Characters went nowhere.
OK, so what's so great? Honestly, I don't know what to tell you. The acting wasn't first-rate. The locations were passable. The directing was scattershot. The ending was too pat.
But... if you didn't read this review first, you might think you were to see a ghost story. So, from that point of view, it's both tense and a letdown. Tense, because you're waiting for the kick in the gut, a letdown because it's just another mad hatter on the loose.
Now, I saw the 82m cut, not the purported 95m, so maybe there were some boffo scenes that I missed. Probably not.
Hey, is it "proto-giallo"? I watched "Four Flies on Grey Velvet" right before this, so I'll say "maybe." 1965 isn't exactly "proto."
Second, let me be pretentious for a minute. The dream scenes were stylish, but overwrought. The plot was thin and padded. Characters went nowhere.
OK, so what's so great? Honestly, I don't know what to tell you. The acting wasn't first-rate. The locations were passable. The directing was scattershot. The ending was too pat.
But... if you didn't read this review first, you might think you were to see a ghost story. So, from that point of view, it's both tense and a letdown. Tense, because you're waiting for the kick in the gut, a letdown because it's just another mad hatter on the loose.
Now, I saw the 82m cut, not the purported 95m, so maybe there were some boffo scenes that I missed. Probably not.
Hey, is it "proto-giallo"? I watched "Four Flies on Grey Velvet" right before this, so I'll say "maybe." 1965 isn't exactly "proto."