Le Chat noir

This is one of those rare Italian movies where it doesn't pay to have beers during it's playing time, because if you do, you'll be in a coma by the halfway mark.

That's not really a criticism though, because the Black Cat is a nice change of pace from the splatter of early eighties Italian horror. Rather than spend the running time making people vomit up their own guts, Lucio Fulci has sought to bring back the Gothic tone of those late sixties supernatural movies (The Ghost, Blancheville Monster etc).

Patrick Magee (love those eyebrows), is a cantankerous medium taken to wandering graveyards at night, recording the voices of the newly dead. There's plenty of newly dead in this sleepy English town too, which has got something to do with Magee's Black Cat. The two of them spend an awful lot of time staring at each other.

Meanwhile, Mimsy Farmer, a visiting American (I think) photographer, gets interested in Magee and spends her time annoying him at his house, just as cop David Warbreck arrives in town, to help local bobby Al Cliver search for some missing teenagers.

I'm surprised that Fulci managed to create something so coherent during the run of films that included House By The Cemetery and Manhattan Baby. Although not gore-filled, the first half of the film does consist of the cast being stalked and wasted in a variety of ways, and the only time the film falters is when it starts actually following the story of Poe's Black Cat. Plus, you've got great B-movie fodder in the form of Al Cliver (err...great dubbing there), Daniella Doria and the aged, but still lush, Dagmar Lassander.

It wouldn't be a Fulci film without some daftness though, eh? Well, apart from people acting terrified of a cat (although a teleporting, hyper-aggressive cat might be a bit scary), you've got Lassander trying to put out an inferno with a cushion, an absolutely awful bat attack, and I'm still not sure whether to be impressed or start laughing every time Magee appears on screen.

Good enough for any Fulci collection, just don't expect gore. Great soundtrack too!

This was a good version of the Poe story. Not quite as bloody as Fulci's other flicks, and it didn't really need to be. It tells its tale of a man who records the dead conversing (!) while his cat commits murders convincingly, and the way they present the cat as the master over the man is very fetching. The only problem with this movie-- (shudder) the EYEBALL CAM!! Wayyyy too many close-ups of a man's eyes (pause for 3-5 seconds), then to the cat's eyes (pause another 3-5 seconds) and repeat ad nauseum.

Arrrgh!!! But if you can put up with that here and there, you'll be pleased with Fulci's best offering (in my opinion).

I really don't care what anyone says; "The Black Cat" is pretty damn cool. As far as the gore goes, it's not excessive as most of Fulci's films are, but it doesn't need to be. That being said, this film is not for the faint of heart. If you watched it with your grandma or someone who has not been jaded by the blood and guts in Italian horror films, you'd see it from a different side. A dude gets impaled, a girl burns to death, rotting corpses are found in a hot boat shack, and a cat repeatedly rips the flesh off a guy's face, goring him up. I mean, it's not "New York Ripper" but it's not a slasher film. It's more like a giallo.

This film is most notable for the brilliant cinematography. The shots from the cat's point of view are awesome. And then there's the excellent acting (for a Fulci film). Mimsy Farmer is decent! And the other dude, Patrick Magee from "Clockwork Orange" isn't bad either. Better than other Fulci stuff for sure.

The fact that the acting is above par and the fact that there isn't a constant onslaught of gore has contributed to the low rating on here. The film is a good giallo-style horror movie and it oozes with old school ambiance and mood. The soundtrack is great and all in all, it's a great adaptation of the Poe story.

I recommend it to Italian horror fans who can stand to be entertained without seeing people get disemboweled.

7 out of 10, kids.

The plot of "The Black Cat" is a real doozy that might have you biting your tongue: creepy old medium Patrick Macnee (who's really overdoing the quivering monotone thing here) supposedly has a psychic link with a black cat, who he orders to kill the residents of a small village. Fulci does well with the flamboyant material, and keeps piling on the gore, atmosphere, and dark sets with gusto. For the most part, the cast (including Euro-vets Mimsy Farmer, David Warbeck, and Al Cliver) doesn't take the material any more seriously than they have to, resulting in some unintentional (but welcome) comic relief. Granted, this isn't "House by the Cemetery"-caliber, but it's not bad, either. 3 out of 5 stars.

Director Lucio Fulci's THE BLACK CAT kicks off with a vehicular death, involving the felonious feline of the title. Enter photographer, Jill Trevers (Mimsy Farmer) who makes an odd discovery while taking pictures of some local ruins. As more "accidental" deaths occur, the police are baffled, and call in Inspector Gorley (David Warbeck) of Scotland Yard, who soon enlists Jill's talents.

What, if anything does all of this have to do with the town medium, Professor Miles (Patrick Magee) and his alleged communications with the dead? What is his relationship with the killer kitty?

Another example of Fulci's mastery of bizarre, supernatural horror, this film offers his typical gore-drenched sequences and terrifying set pieces. It's a great mystery / thriller as well. The Director's penchant for eye closeups is used well, adding intensity, and making the cat come across as all the more malevolent and dangerous.

A fantastic movie made during Fulci's "horror cycle" prime. This is true, even with the glaring bloopers, such as the visible hands of the wrangler holding the cat during an intense scene, and the glaring wires holding the rubber bats!

Co-stars Al Cliver as Sgt. Wilson.

P.S.- Poe fans will love the finale...