I'll never know what was real and what existed only in the imagination of the visiting school inspector. He got stuck between two worlds: the real world where he represented the official government, and the castle where The Baron (with capitals) kept saying "I am the one in charge". To add to the confusion, we repeatedly heard that the mysterious Idaline was actually still higher in line.
You should not expect the usual elements of common horror movies: I saw no traces of blood, no fatal bites in necks, and no squeaking doors.
Only a very brief moment we see color in the film. Nearly all is black and white. It may remind you of ancient Dracula movies, but that is where all resemblance stops. Rather than that, it is.... different.
There is tension throughout, wondering what will happen next. That goes on all the time. Part of what we see happening, seem to happen only in someone's imagination, but we can never be sure about that. Well done, but I doubt the recipe will work when seeing the film for a second time.
The musical score was impressive, certainly adding to the tension. Apart from that, there was an "Orchestra" (mind the quotes, again) appearing in the castle, but that was limited to a single scene. Following the final credits that same Orchestra appears for the second time as an unexpected bonus. Make sure you stay until the end, do not put on your coat yet, and refrain from leaving early.
