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The Black Cat

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A Scotland Yard inspector and an American photographer are drawn into a bizarre series of deaths in a small English town that seem to be linked to a psychic medium and his hateful black cat.

Inspired by the tale from Edgar Allan Poe, gore legend Lucio Fulci's "The Black Cat" is a refreshing change from the sorts of Italian horror films I'm used to seeing. It almost feels like a Hammer or Amicus production, or an attempt at one rather, and as a big fan of those types of horror films, I was very relieved to see that. Part of the feeling surely comes from the English setting, and another from one of the main stars of the film, actor Patrick Magee. However, the story plays a part in this too, as this film is actually about the intriguing plot more than it is about the gore. In fact, I'd say "The Black Cat" is fairly mild in the gore department compared to other Italian horror films. The performances range from quite good to adequate, and the music is pretty cool, so overall I can easily say this is among the better Italian horror films I've seen, but, as I've said, it's more because it feels a bit like British horror. If you are into the more typical Italian horror films, perhaps you will not like "The Black Cat" so much. If you are a fan of Hammer and Amicus, this is a good segway into Italian horror. The DVD from Anchor Bay claims to be fully restored (though I guess that doesn't mean a flawless picture), and the film is presented in widescreen. Also included are the theatrical trailer and a bio on Lucio Fulci. I can honestly say I like "The Black Cat" and it is worth checking out, though there are still going to be questions you wish it had answered. It IS Italian horror, after all. Still, this is among their best in my opinion.

The Black Cat released in 1981 is one of Lucio Fulci's lesser known efforts. The Black Cat was released in a time when the splatter era of Lucio Fulci was upon us. If its gore you are looking for you won't find very much here, while the Black Cat does have some violence it's not very gory at all; the couple of gore scenes we get are very tame actually. I wouldn't even call them gore scenes.

With The Black Cat Fulci focuses more on suspense; while we all have our own opinion I think a lot of people went into this movie expecting a gorefest. Lucio Fulci was a director who could make his movies come out creepier than they should have, but it's the gore is what really got fans talking. The Black Cat could have used more of the red stuff; while the movie wasn't bad it just never had that creepy feel that some of Fulci's other movies from this era did.

The close up of the eyes is a Lucio Fulci trademark; when used right that shot can be really effective and make a scene very eerie. But here in The Black Cat, Fulci goes into close up of the eyes overload. It seemed every other shot was a close up of the eyes. Honestly it can get rather annoying after a while. The look of the movie is well done for the most part; Sergio Salvati was the cinematographer and he worked with Fulci on some of his most popular flicks of the 80s.

Lucio Fulci and Sergio Salvati are able to create a great look visually and are able to make some scenes a little creepier than maybe they should have been. The Black Cat really wasn't a bad movie it's your typical Lucio Fulci movie only without the gore. There were some decent moments of suspense and the movie is actually well made for the most part. At times The Black Cat can drag and there are moments when it can be a bit boring, but overall The Black Cat is enjoyable.

If you aren't a fan of Lucio Fulci your best bet is probably to skip this, but if you are a fan or a some what fan of Fulci The Black Cat is worth a watch. Just don't expect any gore because you will be disappointed; while The Black Cat lacks in some areas it is enjoyable for the most part. Not one of Lucio Fulci's best, but not one his worst. The Black Cat is a decent watch and has it's moments.

The DVD from Blue Underground is the same exact disc as the Anchor Bay version. So if you already own the DVD there is no reason to buy another one.

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 style. 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) however 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(actually there were very few gore scenes), 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!.

It is often forgotten that "The Black Cat" was made in between Lucio Fulci's wonderful triptych of Zombie films, and is a further illustration that Fulci was very willing to tackle esoteric and challenging material. A further surprise in light of its position in Fulci's filmography is the relative lack of gore. Aside from one or two cat attacks and an especially memorable sequence involving an unfortunate character caught in a blazing inferno this film is more interested with atmosphere. A suitably eerie English village informs the narrative backdrop of a rather fanciful tale about a professor who can both control his feline and communicate with the dead. Unfortunately for him there isn't enough death in this sleepy village, which potentially halts his experiments, so his cat is rather busy. Patrick Magee as the deranged professor chews the scenery, and adds a touch of madcap class to a somewhat thankless role. Fulci is at his best when his prowling camera follows the cat around roofs and alleys, and he imbues the cat with a wonderful demonic personality thanks to a number of well timed and not overused point of view shots. However Fulci's propensity for close ups on the eyes of characters is over used and irritating, as is the attitude toward the backward locals. Its quite rich coming from an Italian film crew, Fulci himself had well documented the backward superstitions in his own "Don't Torture a Duckling". Aside from the bricking up of the largely superfluous Mimsy Farmer the film bears little resemblance to Poe's original treatise on guilty consciences. One or two usual nonsense scenes are present - why does Mimsy Farmer's bedroom go crazy in best "Exorcist" style?, and why are the powers of Scotland Yard brought in just to find a missing girl? This is ultimately low calorie Fulci and a forgettable entry in Fulci's horror cycle. What saves the film from total obscurity is an excellent score by Pino Dinaggio.