The Black Cat
Director – Lucio Fulci (Zombi, The Beyond)
Starring – Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange, The Monster Club), Mimsy Farmer (Evil Senses, Body Count), and David Warbeck (The Beyond, Breakfast with Dracula)
Release Date – 1981
Tagline – “The most terrifying story ever”
Rating – 3.5/5
Early middle school, around 6th grade, was the time I found myself fully submerging myself in horror. I was young with no horror mentor or friends that enjoyed it as much as I did. All my friends were getting into skateboarding, punk music, and Tony Hawk video games. We were still friends but I was just odd man out when it came to what we watched. They wanted to watch the “classics” like Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction, and the like. These are all great films but I wanted to watch Creepshow and Evil Dead. Kids my age that were into horror had older brothers, cousins, and neighbors that was showing them the ins and outs of the genre. All I had was the local video store and a monthly trip to K-Mart (which was almost 2 hours away).
That changed when I went to high school. I met a guy that was into horror just as much as I was and he showed me a couple films from the Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci. This forever changed the way I saw horror flicks. The Beyond, Zombi, and City of the Living Dead are films I watch regularly now. Sometime ago I was sent word that Arrow would be teaming up with MVD to release a box set feature two Edgar Allen Poe tales titled Black Cats. One of those films was directed by Lucio Fulci. I had to see it and they were kind enough to send a review copy of this box set my way.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows, you guessed it, a black cat. The black cat attacks a man while driving forcing him to crash. The man dies on impact. Soon Scotland Yard sends a detective to investigate where he finds more murders and clues leading back to a black cat that is owned by a local professor who secretly has a psychic power to communicate with the cat. When the detective gets too close the cat attacks putting him in the hospital forcing Scotland Yard to send in another detective to uncover the truth.**Spoiler Alert**
Fulci has a style all his own. His is one of the few filmmakers that can make a beautifully shot film with amazing camera work and superb wide angles and close ups while tossing buckets of gore at the viewer. Aesthetically, his films rival any award winning film that has ever been released but due to the large amounts of gore they tend to go unnoticed. The Black Cat is typical of a Fulci film with the close ups and experimental camera work but does lack the gore that horror fans have become accustomed to.
The acting in this one is what you would come to expect from a Lucio Fulci film. The cast have a hard time showing emotions other than fear and anger. The cast is made up of mostly Fulci regulars who all are decent but they do lack conviction needed to make the emotions believable. Sadly, I don’t watch a Fulci film for the acting and this is one of the reasons why.
The story for this one is a round about take on the Edgar Allen Poe classic, The Black Cat. The original story follows a drunk that kills his wife only to have their back cat lead the police to the body. This film makes it a little more complex than that. I loved how much thought this film puts into it. It’s obvious what is going on from the beginning but I loved knowing before it happens.
Finally, the film has several on screen kills but they are nowhere near as gory as we come to expect from a Fulci flick. This was a bit of a let down. The practical effects that we get on the kills vary. Some of the kills are great while others are cheap and ineffective. Overall, The Black Cat is a solid outing by the Godfather of Gore but lacks what he is known for in the horror community, the gore! The film has a solid story, a little more than expected considering the story’s inspiration. and has a decent performance from the cast. My only complaint is the bloodshed or lack there of. Check this one out for sure.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary
From Poe ino Fulci Featurette
In the Paw-Prints of The Black Cat Featurette
At Home with David Warbeck Interview
Trailer
Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
Director – Sergio Martino (Torso)
Starring – Edwige Fenech (Strip Nude for the Killer), Anita Strindberg (The Case of the Scorpion Tales), and Luigi Pistilli (A Bay of Blood)
Release Date – 1972
Rating – 3/5
Italian horror is a hit or miss sub-genre among horror fans. Some love them all while other pick them apart and enjoy certain aspects. Personally, I tend to think that I like them all but I typically avoid giallos because they bore the shit out of me when most feel like a murder mystery and not a horror flick. Most are beautifully shot and offer up some spectacular imagery. A decent amount of these beautifully crafted horror films typically gave the viewer buckets of blood and gore but not all of them.
One such horror film was 1972’s Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key. This was a film that I never knew about until Arrow released the Black Cats box set. The film was another take on the Edgar Allen Poe story The Black Cat. Arrow was kind enough to hook me up with a review copy of the set. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to check it out!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a writer who lives in a very old mansion with his wife and their black cat amply named Satan. The writer, Oliviero (Pistilli), is a drunk and very abusive towards his wife and often has an affair with one of his former students. One day she turns up dead and they suspect that Oliviero’s wife, Irina (Strindberg), is the one responsible. Soon, their black maid is found dead not long after wearing Oliviero’s mother’s dreass. Oliviero starts to suspect Irna for the murders and turns to physically abusing his wife. Not long after this Oliviero’s niece Floriana (Fenech) arrives.
Oliviero starts seducing her and soon Floriana and Irina hatch a plan to get Oliviero which results in Irina stabbing Oliviero. Floriana agrees to keep their secret and asks for the family jewelry. Irina agrees and then hatches out yet another plan with the killer of the first two murders to get Floriana. The police arrive to investigate and soon finds the cat whining behind the walls in the cellar…**Spoiler Alert**
I was a little upset after watchingThe Black Cat from one of my favorite filmmakers, Lucio Fucli. The film had the Fulci style but lacked the gore that I have grown to love and admire from the godfather of gore. When I tossed inYour Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, I was hoping this one would bring the carnage but it did not. The film has that Italian horror style but lacked the gore I was expecting.
The acting in this one is easily the best out of the set. The cast works very well together and create some very genuine characters that feel so real. Luigi Pistilli is a man you love to hate and his character is easy to despise. That is what the film calls for and he delivers on that perfectly. Anita Strindberg is brilliant. She is able to channel that battered woman character perfectly before switching it up to a clever little lady who is able to manipulate everyone around her. Also, Edwige Fenech is amazing. She is sexy, seductive, and deceiving. This is a role she is known for and I believe that is because she was born to play those type of characters.
The story for this one is a very layered take on the Edgar Allen Poe tale. The film ends like the iconic story but delivers a very unique spin that almost feels like a crime drama and not a horror flick. This works well on so many levels just a bit of a let down on the horror front. Finally, the film has a few on screen kills but they are very lackluster. The film has decent practical effects but do not apply any originality to the kills themselves to make them memorable.
Overall, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key is a solid Italian murder mystery with a great cast and an amazing take on The Black Cat but does not feel like a horror film. I recommend it just keep in mind that it does not feel like a horror flick.
Special Features
Through the Keyhole interview
Unveiling the Vice featurette
Dolls of Flesh and Blood Featurette
The Strange Vices of Fenech Featurette
Eli Roth on Your Vice is a Locked Room
The set is limited to 3000 units with 80 page booklet. Both film have a brand new 2k restoration.
Overall release – 4/5
