The Last Warning is all cobwebs and dark hallways and twisted staircases and murder. In other words, it's all frosting and no cake, but it's a good sugar rush.

I think a solid case could be made for Paul Leni as one of the great silent movie directors; his technical precision holding up even among the likes of Murnau, Eisenstein, Von Sternberg, Chaplin, or Dreyer. He knows exactly where to place a shot— if not for an emotional or logistical…

This is maybe the most I’ve ever changed my mind about a film? I gave this 1½ stars on my original viewing three years ago, and I distinctly remember the bad taste it left in my mouth. I felt it was loud and convoluted, dancing around a great number of lofty themes without ever really digging into any of them. The sex and violence and bizarre imagery seemed there simply for shock value; it played more like a parody of…