Re: Spirits of the Dead Metzemgerstein works better as a mood piece - style over substance and all that. As for Toby Damnit, that's just Fellini being Fellini. :)
Re: The Vanishing One of the best Hitchcock films Hitchcock never made. :) Since you liked it, I'll recommend William Wyler's The Collector (a film with similar themes). Terence Stamp is very creepy in it...