THE OVAL PORTRAIT is a little-seen low budget Mexican gothic inspired by one of Edgar Allan Poe's many short stories. It's the usual kind of misadventure set in a rambling old house, where a young woman finds herself possessed by the spirit of a dead woman. Hints of necrophilia and the like darken the plotting somewhere, but mostly this is a slow-moving and mildly atmospheric ghost story with a few shrieking histrionics added to the mix. The cast give undistinguished performances but there's a certain atmosphere of regret here along with darker moments at the climax.
Review of One Minute Before Death
