Finally, the last clue. This is one of the few movies that make me cry for hours every time I watch them. Which is the reason why I hardly ever do so, because only thinking about it makes my eyes fill with tears. Even though it is mostly a funny and romantic movie, the last 10 Minutes are so heart rending, that I wouldn’t call it a comedy by any means.

The connection to D&M is the basic construction. As I said – mainly funny, but taking a severe twist at the end. The movie is much more dramatic, of course, but in consequence also happier, because unlike Death and the Maiden, the Ghost and Mrs. Muir finally get together.

If you’ve read along and still like it, you might want to go and continue reading the sequel, Death and the Maiden 2. That story is designed much more like a movie or a novel, less like a cartoon, which means that there is definitely less slapstick humour and more plot. If you don’t want this, you might also decide to stop right here. Thanks for reading either way!

Just in case someone has got problems with this one:
Death has finally achieved that the maiden has lost her confidence in him, and therefore the ability to see him. To remind you: She could see him all by herself for a while, even though Death did not concentrate on her. This was because of her emotional bond to Death. That bond has now been broken, because Death successfully terrified her.

The scene that is pictured here shows the Maiden moving out of the appartment she shared with her boyfriend. One can assume that this step is final.

Remember the watchman who could see Death and forced him to change his outfit? Or the fact that all the people in the cellar seemed to be able to see Death? There you have your explanation. They were all about to die, hence they could see Death – because they were already close to him.

I admit, this one was a bit tricky, since it more or less referenced to a reference, which is once again The Phantom of the Opera.

Both in Gaston Leroux’ novel and in the Lon-Chaney-movie, there’s a big masked ball taking place, at which the Phantom appears disguised as Red Death. In case of Death & Maiden, it is reversed – Death disguises himself as the Phantom.
In the novel as well as in the movie, the Phantom wants to blow up the opera house by igniting a big amount of explosives he has stored in the cellar. Which is the same place where my tragedy originates (although it is not dynamite that causes the mayhem).

The only real reference to the Roger-Corman-movie (starring Vincent Price) is the fact, that an exuberant festivity ends up as a massacre.