A very interesting scene involves Susan, the wife, looking through the paintings and conmmenting on one that read 1621-1665, which could be a hint to King Phillip IV of Spain, noted as "the playboy king" of Spain who waged a few wars in his time for Catholicism (and there is a couple of moments of War / Male symbolism here...note the scene where Martin tears her wedding dress on a small cannon statue), but the most intersting part of the film revolves around the child Carol (Rosa Rodrdguez) who is thought of the return of the legend that is Carmilla (or Marcilla, the name used in this film).
The Carmilla Karnstein story was written by Sheridan Le Fanu for the 1872 colletion In a Glass Darkly, and has been a basis for many a film through The 60's and 70's, and this is one of the better-known adaptations. The ending where "He" shoots the demonic duo in a casket and later cuts out the hearts has been much debeted in specualtion as fo the scene where he starts to cut through a breast is completed to get to one of the hearts, but that is quite trivial as the film remains excellent to look at. The ad is a fine introduction to some of the things to think about, and the various dream sequences featuring a dagger and Marcilla that lead up to thoughts of killing "He" are evocative.
