In the end, this is a gothic tale of two vying dominions, one ruled by an effete, debauched man whose perverse pleasures are entirely earthbound, the other unworldly, undeniable, undefiable, or in a word (quoted directly from Poe's text) illimitable

The Masque of the Red Death moves with a sinuous, unselfconscious elegance.

Shot in England by Nicolas Roeg, who went on to direct Don't Look Now, among others, this gloriously colourful horror is a classic excursion into demonology.

For all its elaborate, theatrical staging and grand declarations, however, the film doesn’t lean into camp despite lines such as, “This is your day of deliverance, remember?” The result is more akin to that of Shakespearean tragedy.