As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.
Session: Fulci Month (Week 3)
Movie: The Black Cat (1981)
Directed by Lucio Fulci
A psychotic cat is killing people in northern England. Horror ensues.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
Before starting the film, Keith told us that the role of Professor Miles was originally intended for Peter Cushing. Cushing, however, turned it down because of Lucio Fulci's well-earned reputation for gore. The role went to Patrick Magee instead. I was disappointed by that revelation, thinking that it was a missed opportunity for Cushing to work his magic. But after all is said and done, I'm glad that Magee got the role. His gruff demeanor and gravelly voice were perfect for it. And I actually can't really imagine Cushing and his suave sophistication in the part.
As always, Fulci delivered on some beautiful shots, and the soundtrack is haunting. So this is an extremely atmospheric movie, and very engaging.
Where it comes up short is in exposition. The cat's motivation is never really explained well. Keith helped fill in the blanks. And the exposition in the trailer actually offers more explanation than the movie did -- which leads one to believe that there was an explanation that got cut out of the film as released. I also found some confusion in the way the movie seemed unsure of whether it was exploring some kind of science-based concept or something more supernatural. In the end, it included both, which kind of muddled things.
Still, even with those issues, it's hard to get over what a beautifully shot film this was.
Ratings
Me: 8.75
Christina: 8.1
Dave: 9.7
Ethan: 10
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