FilmRDemonic & Possession Witchcraft & Occult Psychological

The Mephisto Waltz1971

Name: The Mephisto Waltz
Genre: Demonic & Possession, Witchcraft & Occult, Psychological, Gothic
Released: 1971-04-09
Rating: 6.1

“...The Sound of Terror”

Directed by Paul Wendkos

6.1

Crypt Score

Blended from 4 sources

IMDb 6.1Rotten Tomatoes 63%Metacritic 47TMDB 6.0

✍ Review

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Year

1971

Runtime

115 min

Box Office

🏆 1 nomination total

The premise

A frustrated pianist himself, music journalist Myles Clarkson is thrilled to interview virtuoso Duncan Ely. Duncan, however, is terminally ill and not much interested in Myles until noticing that Myles' hands are ideally suited for piano. Suddenly, he can't get enough of his new friend, and Myles' wife, Paula, becomes suspicious of Duncan's intentions. Her suspicions grow when Duncan dies and Myles mysteriously becomes a virtuoso overnight.

Horror Vault's take

When a music journalist with unfulfilled pianistic ambitions strikes up an unlikely friendship with a dying virtuoso, strange forces begin reshaping his life in ways his wife finds deeply disturbing. The elegant world of classical music masks something far more predatory beneath its surface, and Paula's growing dread may be the only thing standing between her family and an ancient, insidious design. Steeped in early-70s occult unease, this underseen gem trades gore for creeping psychological dread and baroque atmosphere. The line between admiration and possession has never felt more uncomfortably thin.

Content: Occult Ritual Imagery, Sexual Content, Thematic Incest, Disturbing Psychological Themes