The Black Cat (1981) Movie Review
Written By: K.M.C
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Lucio Fulci
Producers: Giulio Sbarigia
Writers: Biagio Proietti, Lucio Fulci
Date Released: April, 4 1981
Cast:
Patrick Magee as Prof. Robert Miles
Mimsy Farmer as Jill Trevers
David Warbeck as Inspector Gorley
Al Cliver as Sgt. Wilson
Dagmar Lassander as Lillian Grayson
Bruno Corazzari as Ferguson
Geoffrey Copleston as Inspector Flynn
Daniela Doria as Maureen Grayson (as Daniela Dorio)
Rating = 2.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
The deranged Professor Miles possesses unique psychic abilities that allows him to talk to the dead and subconsciously communicate with animals including his pet black cat. Strange deathly accidents start to happen in the small English he lives in, and all of the signs point to his black cat having to do with them. Jill Trevers, a photographer visiting ruins in the small village, who becomes involved in solving the accidents starts to suspect that Professor Miles may be using his psychic abilities for evil instead of good.
Gore Factor
The few instances of gore can get a grimace or two from the audience but nothing more than that. The only real gore exhibited in this film are the deep scratches the black cat does on Professor Miles.
The Grave Review
The Black Cat is more of a silly scary movie than a to-be-taken-seriously type of watch. It seems as though it is a scooby doo cartoon episode come to life and extended into a movie. Nonetheless, the film gets its praise for its good cinematography. The specific zoom-ins and the parallel shots shooting from people’s eyes to the cat’s eyes create a more eerie and intriguing feeling to the film.
The acting was what made this film feel as though someone took 1950s actors and placed them into this 80s horror film. The dramatic exclamations and sing-songy tones of the actors emphasizes this idea. Patrick Magee’s strong hold on keeping a stern yet unsettling persona in playing his character is what makes him stand out from the rest of the cast. Even though there were some unnecessary scenes that were obviously fillers rather than plot progressors and the effects were a bit comical, The Black Cat is enjoyable.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives The Black Cat (1981) two and a half graves out of five graves.
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