In the 1850s an innocent orphan goes to live with his guardian, an elderly cousin who dabbles in mysticism, but the fates of two orphans who previously lived there disturb the hospitality.
Could this be made today? The connotations are distasteful, and when you think this was made in the '70s, and the original story was written in Lewis Carrol's time, you wonder if something is being thinly veiled.
This creates a nice Dickensian vibe, as the noble hero is welcomed into a world of slightly grotesque but affable adults whose goal is to mistreat and abuse him. The villain is played very well, but I didn't think the hero was good in close up - always blinking.
Nicely shot, with the spookiness established immediately, and the sets and costumes are perfect. The ghosts are possibly overdone, but eerie nonetheless. (I wonder if the ghouls in the Hush episode of Buffy were inspired by this.) The climax is on the nose, which is a pity, since it could have afforded to be less literal, more mysterious.
Overall - stylish little spook fest.
Could this be made today? The connotations are distasteful, and when you think this was made in the '70s, and the original story was written in Lewis Carrol's time, you wonder if something is being thinly veiled.
This creates a nice Dickensian vibe, as the noble hero is welcomed into a world of slightly grotesque but affable adults whose goal is to mistreat and abuse him. The villain is played very well, but I didn't think the hero was good in close up - always blinking.
Nicely shot, with the spookiness established immediately, and the sets and costumes are perfect. The ghosts are possibly overdone, but eerie nonetheless. (I wonder if the ghouls in the Hush episode of Buffy were inspired by this.) The climax is on the nose, which is a pity, since it could have afforded to be less literal, more mysterious.
Overall - stylish little spook fest.