"Shot almost entirely on sound stages, film has the feel of an old-fashioned, 1930s, studio-enclosed production made with the benefit of 1990s technology. From the striking, blood-drenched prologue onward, the viewer is constantly made aware of cinema artifice in its grandest manifestations. Detractors may compare this to "One From The Heart," but the mechanics are really quite impressive and provide plenty to marvel at. Thomas Sanders' production design, Michael Ballhaus' lensing, Michele Burke's makeup and, especially, Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka's amazing costumes create a dark world of heightened irreality within a context that is both Gothic and Victorian." - Todd McCarthy, Variety