Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- decadent
- surreal
- late night horror viewing
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly find the anthology uneven, praising Fellini's surreal Toby Dammit while viewing the Vadim and Malle segments as less successful.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Louis Malle, Roger Vadim, and Federico Fellini each direct a separate Edgar Allan Poe adaptation, producing three markedly different segments.
The medieval court, black stallion, aristocratic interiors, and surreal supernatural imagery emphasize ornate visual excess.
The William Wilson segment centers on an exact double who shadows the sadistic Austrian student and becomes the focus of his violence.
The film joins French and Italian auteur cinema with Poe's gothic tales, drugged celebrity decadence, aristocratic obsession, and supernatural dread.
Films like Spirits of the Dead, and why
Kwaidan
anthology horror built from literary tales, with contrasting auteur-driven styles and gothic atmosphere
Tales from the Crypt
stylized anthology horror adapting classic supernatural literature through highly theatrical visual design
The Masque of the Red Death
episodic gothic horror with literary source material, decadent imagery, and psychologically troubled protagonists
Three Extremes
auteur-led anthology combining surreal imagery, dread, and morally tormented characters
Movie Details
- Directors
- Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, Roger Vadim
- Release Date
- 1968-05-16
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (191)
Cast
- Brigitte Bardot
- Alain Delon
- Jane Fonda
- Terence Stamp
- Peter Fonda
- James Robertson Justice
- Salvo Randone
- Françoise Prévost
- Katia Christine
- Philippe Lemaire
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Spirits of the Dead about?
- Three European auteurs turn Edgar Allan Poe's tales into a lavish, unsettling anthology of doubles, obsession, decadence, and doom.
- What is Spirits of the Dead like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Spirits of the Dead as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Spirits of the Dead violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Spirits of the Dead as graphic.
- What did critics think of Spirits of the Dead?
- Critics broadly find the anthology uneven, praising Fellini's surreal Toby Dammit while viewing the Vadim and Malle segments as less successful.
- Which films are like Spirits of the Dead?
- Films with a similar feel include Kwaidan, Tales from the Crypt, The Masque of the Red Death, and Three Extremes.
- How long is Spirits of the Dead?
- Spirits of the Dead runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch Spirits of the Dead?
- In United States, Spirits of the Dead streams on Criterion Channel.
