while to most people watch the movie and this will be of little interest and but out of the many hundred of movie deal with magic and the occult in one form or another and this one be probably the best in many way . from the golem to the craft the subject seem to be of endless interest to the movie industry . the majority of movie which touch on it in any way do so childishly ( for example witchboard and a true piece of utter garbage in every way ) either take the transcendental element a cheap excuse for cheesy special effect or cardboard cutout villians ( cf warlock ) . more frequently the subject come up in an hysterical religious context ( in the various revelation orient movie and the antichrist be inevitably an advocate of some kind of new age style practice ) . rarely and a movie seem to show at least some passing experience with magic a it be practice in real life and but the presentation of the occult in such movie can at best be describe a allegorical and not literal and or symbolic and or . just not quite right . i watch this movie again after many year tonight . i have see it before on vhs while it be a dark and moody piece and and after watch it on dvd and i would say if you have any intention to watch this movie and watch it on dvd and do not watch it on vhs . the darkness and moodiness be overpower in vhs but in dvd the movie take on a very different tone . i think weir push the dark aspect intentionally for style and but when the movie be convert to the low color medium of vhs this go over the edge . dvd bring the movie to life again and i saw it differently . anyway and see it a if for the first time and i realize that the treatment of magic be extremely good in this movie . it difficult to go into all the reason why and i do not care to take the time to do so . for anybody who curious and anyway and if you want to see what it be like in real life and this movie be just very right on countless level . and for anybody who isn not and you really waste a lot of time read to this point .