Crypt of the Vampire

[La cripta e l’incubo] survives as one of Italy’s more stylish Gothics of the period, with a cloying vein of suppressed desire running through it and a group of more than competent actors being upstaged by oodles of crepuscular atmosphere.

Among Italian Gothic films about female vampires, Terror in the Crypt deserves a place of its own. … While far from reaching [Sheridan] Le Fanu’s refined allegories, and saddled with its share of clumsy or throwaway moments, Terror in the Crypt is noteworthy for its portrayal of sensuality and female desire. As with many other Italian horror films of the period, the supernatural component allows the scriptwriters and the director to push the pedal of transgression: Ljuba’s demonic influence justifies the lesbian relationship between her and Laura, which forms the film’s core.