A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

So many good ideas at a time when France was still under the German occupation;the director was constantly watched by an officer who used to keep a close watch on his shooting."La fiancée des ténèbres" belongs to the fantasy genre ,with such works as Carné 's "les visiteurs du soir" (1942) and Delannoy-Cocteau's "l'éternel retour" (1943), escapist cinema ,although "les visiteurs" featured veiled hints at resistance and "l'eternel retour",on the other hand, was accused of germanophilia."La fiancée des ténèbres" could have surpassed those two works but it did not.The problem lies in the fact that Poligny did not correctly connect all the links of the chain.And however the screenplay opened huge opportunities:Set in Carcassone,with its ramparts of the MIddle Ages ,filmed on location,the pictures were splendid.The "Cathares" ,these "heretics " who were burned alive by King Saint (sic) Louis provided the movie with an unusual historical subject.The schoolteacher's adoptive daughter,who thinks she brings bad luck to anyone -and a lot of bizarre events tend to prove her right-.The darkness in the subterraneans and then the luminous landscapes where the lovers find a fleeting refuge."La fiancée des ténèbres" ('fiancée of darkness") could have been so much more.All the elements are scattered .A remake would not be a bad idea for a change.

Two exciting stories which became one (a lady who wants a lover but brought only death - a man who is looking for the Albigeois). Not very spectacular, nicely directed but the author seems to be afraid of the genre. It's a pity.