The film entertains on many levels.
Shot in a time when it could have easily been in color and "Cinemascope", the director wisely chose black and white and a relatively narrow aspect ratio to add to the haunting atmosphere.
Many scenes are often discussed, but for me one of the best is when when Bette and her "piano accompanist" are discussing the subject of payment.
The writing and the acting are brilliant here. Each of them in their own little worlds, not really responding to each other's sentences but rather going off into comments that relate only to their own personal lives.
I could watch that movie 100 times and not be bored.
In it's own way, it's every bit as disturbing as "The Exorcist" or "Halloween" or any other celebrated horror film one can think of....
And of course, the final scene on the beach is unforgettable. The term "magic" gets thrown around a lot, but the final five minutes or so of that movie really are the stuff of nightmares.
It could never come close to being recreated. It is, IMHO, absolute perfect film-making.
