Barbara Steele is the wife of a brutal count. Brutal counts don’t take half measures and when he finds out that his wife has been unfaithful, he tortures her and her lover and puts them to death, removing their hearts from their bodies in retribution. Time passes and he remarries a beautiful and unsuspecting young woman. Soon she is experiencing horrendous dreams and apparitions. It appears the spirits of his former wife and her lover have returned to exact their revenge. Then various forms of torture, electrocution(!) and distorted dream images follow.

This film is 80 percent atmosphere and some scraps for story and acting. The first twenty minutes will get your attention, but the middle part is slow and talky with some “plot elements” being played out. But still worth seeking out for lovers of early Gothic horror with quite a haunting Gothic atmosphere and an unusual strong cast for this kind of film. The fine score by Ennio Morricone is a major bonus in this interesting little mystery.