Director Nicolas Roeg made several puzzling, complex films in his prime; Don't Look Now is one of his most enigmatic and certainly his spookiest. Roeg masterfully plays with psychological themes and Venice's labyrinthine settings, using images of a red-coated figure scurrying along the canals to create an almost unbearable emotional intensity. Based on a short story by Daphne Du Maurier, Don't Look Now succeeds far better than more complex horror stories in taunting the viewer's nerves. It is never grisly, but uses dense atmospherics and a dazzlingly firm directorial hand to create a fascinating exploration of the supernatural. It is a far better film than many more popular films of the genre that feature children and psychic or supernatural links.