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Black Cat (Gatto nero)
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Black Cat (Gatto nero) (1981) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   790 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Lucio Fulci
Writers:
Lucio Fulci (screenplay)
Edgar Allan Poe (story)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Black Cat on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 February 1984 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror more
Tagline:
Flesh Ripping Felines!
Plot:
Robert Miles is a psychic that can communicate with the dead. He also has the ability to control the mind of his cat (who incidentally is black)... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
'Cat in the Brain' - DVD Review
 (From FEARnet. 14 May 2009, 7:36 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Not A Film For Gorehounds, But Not Terrible more

Cast

  (Credited cast)
Patrick Magee ... Prof. Robert Miles
Mimsy Farmer ... Jill Trevers
David Warbeck ... Inspector Gorley
Al Cliver ... Sgt. Wilson
Dagmar Lassander ... Lillian Grayson
Bruno Corazzari ... Ferguson
Geoffrey Copleston ... Inspector Flynn
Daniela Doria ... Maureen Grayson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lucio Fulci ... Doctor (scenes deleted)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Black Cat (International: English title) (USA)
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Runtime:
92 min
Country:
Italy
Language:
English | Italian
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Filming Locations:
England, UK more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The role of Professor Miles was intended for Donald Pleasence. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: During one of the later scenes when the cat is terrorizing Jill you can see a crew member's hands holding onto the cat. more
Quotes:
[Sergeant Wilson sees Jill coming out of an underground crypt]
Sergeant Wilson: Miss, let me give you some advice, don't go down there anymore.
Jill Trevers: Why not?
Sergeant Wilson: My Grandad used to tell me when I was a lad that the dead like to be left alone. They're not very hospitable.
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Movie Connections:
Version of Die schwarze Katze (1980) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful:-
Not A Film For Gorehounds, But Not Terrible, 3 January 2006
Author: ellamichelle from United States

Before anyone who hasn't seen this film gets excited that the adaptation of a short story helps Fulci keep hold of his often slippery grasp on the plot, "The Black Cat" has very little to do with Poe's tale until the last 15 or so minutes, and thus is full of the narrative craters B horror fans know and love.

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 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.

In most of its close ups it looks like your average house cat, albeit a bit peeved that you were late with the kibbles and bits. The cheesy snarling sound effects every time it attacks don't help either.

The humans leads are no better (across the board wooden acting), with Magee forced to carry viewer interest in the film by hamming it up as much as possible. Helped along by the overly zealous score, it's amazing that this movie manages not to be as silly as "Touch Of Death".

Overall an amusing trifle, but those looking for gore are better served by just about any other Fulci horror film and those interested in atmosphere are much better served by watching "The Beyond", where the director truly mastered the form.

4.5 stars

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