One of the more difficult scenes to properly light is those involving candlelight. There's a really excellent-looking scene where George and Claudia sit down together at the table, in a room that is supposed to only be lit by candles. This lighting continues later on after Claudia is dead, as the low light creates some wonderfully eerie shadows.
In addition, George's house is so absolutely immaculate, that the blood and body parts - especially when smeared about the pristine white bathroom - provide a striking contrast. The only issue is that while George is carving up the body, there appears to be plastic sheeting on the floor, which I hadn't noticed being there previously - especially since there were no sound effects that would indicate the characters walking on plastic.
In regards to Claudia's death and dissection, the special effects were really quite amazing. Rather than using a simpler method of dispatchment - or one that would be easier to portray via special effects - George elected to slit Claudia's throat, a method that is very difficult to imitate. The effect - although extremely graphic - looked very realistic. It reminded me of the similar style used in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd. The one thing I did notice, however, was that Claudia did move a bit after she was supposed to be dead. And I also spotted something wrapped around her arm which hadn't been there before - probably relating to one of the effects of carving up her body.
There were a few minor visual issues as well. At the beginning of the film while George was getting ready, there was some back light from the bedroom windows, but it wasn't too bad. There was quite a bit coming from the living room while George was playing piano, which was a bit too bright. There was also a high-angle shot of the house's foyer which, although it was a really interesting angle, was lit far too dimly in contrast to the bright dining room.
As mentioned before, the music was excellent for adding a feeling of uneasiness throughout. It also helped to contradict the romantic tone of the film's beginning. The music itself was a great sounding score, as well
There was quite a lot of narration with George talking in voice over. It helped to add a creepy tone, as well as to explain his inner thoughts. The dialogue over the opening credits was also a nice touch. The only downside of George's subdued manner is that sometimes his voice dropped in volume so that his words were almost unintelligible. And although Claudia's voice was a bit louder, hers also got a bit too quiet at times. Remember to mix narration at about -12 dB and music beds at about -18 dB.
