Spirits of the Dead

Original title: Histoires extraordinaires

19681968
RR
2h 1min

Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Drama Horror Mystery

Anthology film from three European directors based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe: a cruel princess haunted by a ghostly horse, a sadistic young man haunted by his double, and an alcoholic ac... Read allAnthology film from three European directors based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe: a cruel princess haunted by a ghostly horse, a sadistic young man haunted by his double, and an alcoholic actor haunted by the Devil.Anthology film from three European directors based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe: a cruel princess haunted by a ghostly horse, a sadistic young man haunted by his double, and an alcoholic actor haunted by the Devil.

Directors
- Federico Fellini(segment Toby Dammit)
- Louis Malle(segment William Wilson)
- Roger Vadim(segment Metzengerstein)
Writers
- Edgar Allan Poe(story "Metzengerstein")
- Roger Vadim(adaptation)
- Pascal Cousin(adaptation)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 nominations

Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Terence Stamp in Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Brigitte Bardot in Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Brigitte Bardot in Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda, Terence Stamp, Alain Delon, and Peter Fonda in Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Marisa Traversi in Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Anne Tonietti in Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Milena Vukotic in Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Salvo Randone in Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

Contessa Frederique de Metzengerstein (segment "Metzengerstein")as Contessa Frederique de Metzengerstein (segment "Metzengerstein")

Brigitte Bardot

Giuseppina (segment "William Wilson")as Giuseppina (segment "William Wilson")

William Wilson (segment "William Wilson")as William Wilson (segment "William Wilson")

Toby Dammit (segment "Toby Dammit")as Toby Dammit (segment "Toby Dammit")

James Robertson Justice

Countess' Advisor (segment "Metzengerstein")as Countess' Advisor (segment "Metzengerstein")

Priest (segment "Toby Dammit")as Priest (segment "Toby Dammit")

Françoise Prévost

Friend of Countess (segment "Metzengerstein")as Friend of Countess (segment "Metzengerstein")
(as Francoise Prevost)

Baron Wilhelm Berlifitzing (segment "Metzengerstein")as Baron Wilhelm Berlifitzing (segment "Metzengerstein")

Marlène Alexandre

(segment "Metzengerstein")as (segment "Metzengerstein")

Katia Christine

Georges Douking

Le licier (segment "Metzengerstein")as Le licier (segment "Metzengerstein")

Philippe Lemaire

Philippe (segment "Metzengerstein")as Philippe (segment "Metzengerstein")

Claude (segment "Metzengerstein")as Claude (segment "Metzengerstein")

Hugues (segment "Metzengerstein")as Hugues (segment "Metzengerstein")

Hans (segment "William Wilson")as Hans (segment "William Wilson")

Priest (segment "William Wilson")as Priest (segment "William Wilson")

Directors
- Federico Fellini(segment Toby Dammit)
- Louis Malle(segment William Wilson)
- Roger Vadim(segment Metzengerstein)
Writers
- Edgar Allan Poe(story "Metzengerstein") (story "William Wilson") (story "Ne pariez jamais votre tête avec le Diable {Never Bet the Devil Your Head}") (segment Metzengerstein)
- Roger Vadim(adaptation) (segment Metzengerstein)
- Pascal Cousin(adaptation) (segment Metzengerstein)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

The Clowns

7.1

Boccaccio '70

7.1

Intervista

7.0

Orchestra Rehearsal

7.2

Orchestra Rehearsal

Juliet of the Spirits

7.6

Juliet of the Spirits

The Ship Sails On

7.6

The Ship Sails On

Il Bidone

7.5

Fellini Satyricon

6.9

Fellini Satyricon

Ginger & Fred

7.3

Roma

7.4

City of Women

7.0

Fellini's Casanova

7.1

Fellini's Casanova

Three directors each adapt a Poe short story to the screen: "Toby Dammit" features a disheveled, drugged and drunk English movie star who nods acceptance in the Italian press and his producers fawn over him. "Metzengerstein" features a medieval countess who has a love-hate relationship with a black stallion - who, it turns out, is really her dead lover. "William Wilson" tells the story of a sadistic Austrian student with an exact double whom he later kills. —alfiehitchie

horror anthology gothic horror based on short story horse woman smokes a cigar 278 more

Taglines
- the ultimate orgy of evil
Genres
Certificate
- R
Parents guide

Trivia
In Federico Fellini's segment, Terence Stamp plays an actor arriving in Rome to do a film, and as they leave the airport to go into the city he suddenly sits up and asks where his Ferrari is; he was promised a Ferrari. This is a humorous reference to a behind the scenes situation on the film Le streghe (1967) from the year before, when Clint Eastwood was enticed to play a small role in exchange for a Ferrari.

Goofs
Toby is offered a magazine pictorial in which he is to portray "the young Greek god Mars" (as translated in captions). Mars was the Roman god of war. The Greek god of war was Ares.

Quotes
William Wilson: It is said, gentlemen, that the heart is the seat of the emotions, the passions. Indeed. But experience shows that it is the seat of our cares. Its only generosity lies in the suffering it gives. So, when we have cut the ribs, separated the diaphragm, and folded back what is commonly called the rib cage, we can deliver the patient form the source of her woes. The doctor is a benefactor. We will thus bring her relief. Along with her heart...
Young girl on the dissection table (segment "William Wilson"): No!
William Wilson: We'll remove despair and the pain of love. Gentlemen, we shall restore her her pristine purity, the peace of paradise lost.
Young girl on the dissection table (segment "William Wilson"): No!

Alternate versions
The whipping of Giuseppina was cut in the original 1973 UK cinema release (titled "Tales of Mystery"), and subsequent releases were also edited. The 15-rated 1986 video (as "Powers of Evil") completely missed the entire 'William Wilson' story, and the 18-rated 1990 French Collection VHS (titled "Histoires Extraordinaires: Tales of Mystery and Imagination") received over a minute of cuts to the whipping scene and shots of Wilson caressing a girl with a scalpel. The Arrow blu-ray release (titled "Spirits of the Dead") is the full uncut version.

Connections
Edited into Toby Dammit (1968)

Soundtracks
Ruby
Sung by Ray Charles
Lyrics by Mitchell Parish
Music by Heinz Roemheld

Top review

8/10

Skip to Fellini

Three separate stories:

Skip the first one. Just do it. If you really must ogle the young Jane Fonda, get Barbarella.

Your call on the second one. Okay, but not memorable.

The third story makes the film. It's "Fellini-esque"! Fellini's wild imagery makes narrative sense (well, sort of), when applied to the story of an addled English actor stumbling around Rome at breakneck speed. The segment also features a startlingly original image of evil (an "Anglican devil," I think that's the Terence Stamp character's phrase). Maybe it's just me, but the segment's conception of the devil is among the spookiest things I've ever seen on film; and when you get right down to it, it makes a lot more theological sense then ugly, scaly guys with tails.

helpful•43

27

johnston.scot
Aug 6, 2001

Release date
- July 23, 1969 (United States)
Countries of origin
- France
- Italy
Languages
Also known as
- Tri koraka kroz ludilo
Filming locations
- Castel Gandolfo, Rome, Lazio, Italy
Production companies
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Runtime
- 2h 1min
Color
- Color
Aspect ratio
- 1.75 : 1

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Histoires extraordinaires (1968)

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