Polanski revisits Satan with less than devilish fun.

The self-immolating and oblivion-bound Ninth Gate is the kind of film that's going to give satanic cults a bad name.

The film never gets around to illuminating much about the lead character.

This satisfying gothic chiller has moody atmosphere, a stunning score (from Wojciech Kilar) and sinister unease to spare as it leads the viewer up numerous garden paths to a disappointing hallucinatory climax.