and that Kinski was "particularly memorable". From retrospective reviews, David Alexander writing in Rue Morgue found the film to be "confusing and scattershot", with "some awkwardly constructed scenes and goofy editing choices, though an overall atmosphere of Gothic dread helps somewhat", and specifically noting Tonino Nardi's "Beautifully hazy cityscapes in Venice". Alexander concluded that the film was "more of a curiosity than anything". Matthew Edwards described the film "difficult to review" noting "its rich atmospheric texture, evocative imagery of Venice and Kinski's wild performance." stating that "Kinski paints his sadistic vampire with a sneering disgust for those around him" as well as noting "a decent performance by Christopher Plummer" and also praised Nardi's cinematography stating he "captures the canals and Gothic architecutre to stunning effect." Edwards concluded that the film was a "monumental muddle that has flashes of brilliance but is rendered bereft of any coherency." In his book on Italian gothic horror films of the decade, Roberto Curti stated that Plummer gave the best performance in the film, and the film had a few arresting if repetitive images, stating that Venice "never becomes a living prescene in the film (as it does in, say, Don't Look Now)" Curti also stated that "despite the script's ambitions, the dialogue is often poor if not ridiculous" but that it was Kinski who ultimately "drowns the film". Kim Newman reviewed the film in Sight & Sound stating that the film was "a mess [...] but a strangely beautiful mess, with an oddly poetic take on vampirism" Newman noted that characters often die off screen and other characters often enter the plot without explaining who they are or what happens to them. See also Klaus Kinski filmography List of horror films of 1988 List of Italian films of 1988 References Sources External links 1988 films 1988 horror films Italian supernatural horror films Italian vampire films Films based on works by Bram Stoker Films scored by Luigi Ceccarelli Films set in Venice Films shot in Venice Nosferatu Religious horror films 1980s Italian films