Regardless the older woman is burnt and as she is being burnt she screams her curse against the Lord and his family. The younger daughter, Elizabeth, is forced to watch her mother burn and the elder Karnstein girl hears her mother's cries whilst the Lord is trying to have his wicked way. She flees from the room, accusing him of being the murderer that he is. Later she visits her mother's ashes at the scene of execution and hears the voice of her mother's spirit urge vengeance against Humbold and his son. She leaves town but is pursued by Humbold who silences her by pushing her to her death over a ravine.
Several years later and we find that the younger Karnstein girl, Elizabeth, has now grown up and been taken in by Humbold's family. Kurt desires her and a marriage is arranged despite her disgust for him and his bloodline. On their wedding night Kurt forces himself on his relucant bride and rapes her. All seems well in Kurt's province until an outbreak of plague enters town. A church service is arranged by the local nobility to pray for deliverance from this petilence. That night a raging thunderstorm breaks and a bolt of lightning strikes an unknown grave, splitting the earth and coffin open. Inside, the decayed corpse starts to regenerate.
Cut to the church. Humbold arrives with his son....the guilt of his earlier sins gnawing at the old man's conscience. A huge crash of thunder rings and the church doors crash open....in staggers a young woman. Only Humnold recognises her and immediately collapses to the ground clutching his chest screaming "No, No, No" - he promptly expires as the storm rages. The young woman sways, swoons and falls to the floor.
The next morning the young woman awakens in what is now Kurt's castle. She introduces herself as "Mary" and has a strange stilted conversation with Elizabeth. Kurt enters and it is plain his adulterous dark soul is already full of desire for Mary. Mary soon embarks on an affair with Kurt and a plot is hatched to do away with the seemingly dreary Elizabeth - but is all as it seems. Cross and double-cross follow with lots of scenes of long gloomy castle corridors and decaying, cobwebbed filled crypts....but is all as it seems. Who is Mary? Why does she bear an uncanny resemblance to the late Helen Karnstein? Is Elizabeth dead or not?....and just what will happen when the locals (in a film that pre-dates the "Wicker Man" by several years) burn their wicker statue of "Death".
This film is a slow-burner full of atmosphere and requires patience. It does not jump into shock action like many horror films and only in the last few minutes is the full supernatural content revealed. the cast all put in great performances - Giulano Rafaelli captures the corrupt "dirty old man" letching of Humbold perfectly, George Ardisson oozes the arrogance and debased lustfulness of Kurt excellently - you in no doubt that this is a dark souled spoiled brat princeling, Halina Zalewski portrays her character's arc from dour and demure young woman, to suspicious spurned wife, to ultimately victorious avenged lady very well, and Barbara Steele gives her dual role as Helen and Mary her usual high quality performance, moving from naive and hunted young Helen, to conniving, scheming seductress Mary and then back to avenging spirit Helen with casual ease.
If you are after a movie that will deliver instant gore and shocks but has little in atmosphere then this film is not for you. If however you want a movie that will build up a Poe-like growing sense of unease and creeping insanity, and deliver Medieval themed Gothic visuals, with great atmospherics and superb acting...well, then, what are you waiting for?
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