The last time director Roman Polanski conjured up the Devil was for Rosemary's Baby.

 It's 32 years later and happily Polanski hasn't fallen under the spell that has plagued so many directors of recent supernatural thrillers. He doesn't resort to using a litany of computer-generated special effects. Instead, Polanski revisits what made Rosemary's Baby work so well and expands from there.

 It's all about suspense and The Ninth Gate abounds with moments of nail-biting intensity.

 Johnny Depp plays Dean Corso, a New York broker of rare books. One day he is called to the inner sanctum of Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), a renowned collector of occult literature.

 Balkan wants him to authenticate a satanic text called The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, a book reputed to have been co-written by Lucifer himself. Legend has it there are only three copies of the book and only one has the power to summon Lucifer.

 Corso doesn't believe the legend, but Balkan offers far too much money not to go in search of the other two books to compare them to Balkan's Nine Gates.

 It doesn't take long for Corso to realize he is not alone in this quest and just knowing about the existence of The Nine Gates can seal one's fate.

 People keep suffering the same excruciating deaths pictured in the book's nine lithographs.

 Polanski allows the audience to take the journey with Corso because all the clues are hidden in the lithographs.

 Study them as carefully as Corso does and you'll be able to predict what will happen next.

 Polanski distorts rooms and landscapes with his cameras and makes even the simplest sound seem ominous and foreboding. That's not cheating because, more often than not, these sounds and images are true foreshadowings.

 Depp is the ideal tour guide for such a nightmarish journey.

 He is a master of nuance and he laces his performance with touches macabre humour.

 Only in the final 15 minutes of The Ninth Gate does Polanski lose control of his film. Instead of remaining creepy, it becomes campy. Before then, The Ninth Gate is as satisfying and chilling an occult thriller as The Exorcist, The Omen and Rosemary's Baby.

(This film is rated AA)

More Movie Reviews