Gatto nero [The Black Cat] (1981)

(In French, On Cable TV, June 2021) I may own a cat, but that doesn’t prevent me from making a point of watching every single cat-themed horror film I can find. (Well, maybe it’s because I own a cat that I do that.)  To say that The Black Cat is a wild ride is merely being descriptive in discussing a film from giallo director Lucio Fulci. Headlined by Patrick McGee going all-out on a villainous character, it’s a film with bright-red blood, a black cat attacking humans and a bit of nudity to wrap it all up. What’s perhaps more unfortunate is that, despite all of those promising elements, the film can’t quite become anything better than a watchable film. Despite the lugubrious Poe-inspired atmosphere of an English town, the film struggles to become something truly interesting. Part of it has to do with a script that, in fine giallo fashion, privileges shocks over buildup and could have used another tune-up before being put on the road. While I’m still happy that I can add another evil cat horror film to my notes, I can’t say it’s my favourite by a long shot.