Black Cat [1981] [DVD]

Anonymous

at 12:01 am

Review by for Black Cat [1981] [DVD]
Rating: (4 / 5)
This is probably one of my favourite Fulci films. Gone is the ultra sick content of Zombie Flesh Eaters and the notorious New York Ripper, and in it’s place we have a feel that is nearest in stylistic theme to the Wicker Man. It patient and well-paced, and although the Poe adapted storyline leaves a lot to be desires it is rescued by some great performance, especially from the cat!! The DVD itself, whilst not replete with extras is great value for money, as you get a 40-minute interview with the maestro himself, and the film is presented in a nice widescreen transfer. What else can I say? The soundtrack is a killer too. Just watch out for the vanishing cat…

Puzzle box

at 12:49 am

Review by Puzzle box for Black Cat [1981] [DVD]
Rating: (4 / 5)
An unusually restraint film for a Fulci picture made in the early 1980s. A picturesque vision of gothic horror that’s done in the style of an Italian gothic or Hammer horror film from the 1960s. I think Fulci’s attempt here was to make a film in the manner of Hammer horror or Corman’s Poe pictures, which would involve little of the director’s usual gory antics. There are some violent scenes, and the most brutal scene in terms of gore or death is the one involving Lillian Grayson. Il Gatto Nero/The Black Cat(1980) relies more on atmosphere, mood, and tension, than gory set pieces, which was a change of tune for Fulci after the bloody violence of Zombie or City of The Living Dead. The basic plot of the film is that a Scotland yard detective (David Warbeck) and an American photographer (Mimsy Farmer) investigate a series of “accidents” in a quiet English village. All clues point to an eccentric local medium(Patrick Magee), but the real mystery is the connection between the psychic and the black cat that seems to show up at the scene of each crime. Lacking the trademark Fulci gore(what there is is very brief), the film instead focuses on atmosphere. There are a few nice touches (in widescreen format the cat’s eye view stalking scenes and the close ups of character’s eyes to show emotion work very well), but what keeps the mood from ever really taking off is the cat itself. Given enough screen time to be billed as a full cast member, Fulci never really succeeds in making the animal look possessed or menacing. The gore still can’t be ignored though, as we’re treated to impalement, skin-melting fires, a nasty car accident and multiple virulent cat-attacks! The sequence in which the feline stalks (and kills) a drunk villager who saw too much is almost like a lesson in genuine tension. Patrick Magee (“A Clockwork Orange” and multiple B-horror classics) looks familiar with his role of crazy cat owner and Mimsy Farmer (Autopsy) is very good as the American photographer unraveling the supernatural mystery. To finish up, there are some neat and unexpected plot twists, a moody score and some very imaginative camera-work. Although visually less overpowering than Fulci’s other contemporary achievements, “the Black Cat” surely ranks amongst his best work. The ending remains fantastic, no matter how many times I’ve seen it already in other Gothic horror movies. Recommended bigtime!.