morrison-dylan-fan Talking to a fellow IMDber on the Film Noir board,I got told about a Gothic Giallo directed by Antonio Margheriti.With having greatly enjoyed Margheriti's Horror-Western God Said To Cain,I decided that it would be a good time to look into the eyes of a deadly kitty.The plot-Scotland:Returning to her family's Dragonstone Castle a week earlier than expected, Corringa discovers that Lady Mary MacGrief is being pushed by all the family and servants to sell the place.Shocked at how almost everyone has turned on her mum,Corringa discovers that the main reasons behind their desperation for the castle to be sold,is an old family legend,which claims that dead members of the MacGrief family will come back from the dead as vampires.Trying to get to grips with her family's "curse",Corringa is given the news that a family member called Lord James MacGrieff has been locked away in a tower of the castle,due to James having gone insane.Dismissing the family's tall tales as nonsense,Coffinga soon finds out that she has stumbled up on a new curse,when the appearance of the MacGrief's pet cat,leads to a family member/servant being brutally murdered shortly after.View on the film:Whilst the films dubbed soundtrack suggest that the dubbing cast have never been anywhere near Scotland,co-writer/ (along with Giovanni Simonelli and Ted Rusoff) director Antonio Margheriti gives the movie a chilly Gothic atmosphere,as Margheriti uses mirrors and shards of light to build a sense of impending doom around the MacGrief's castle.Placed at the front of the movie via a striking score from Riz Ortolani,Margheriti keeps the Giallo elements burning against the Gothic Horror shivers by allowing a cute fur ball to walk along the castles high walls,which leads to all of the castles hidden pathways and crypts being places where the mysterious killer can play deadly games with each of the MacGrif family.For their adaptation of Peter Bryan's novel,the writers drip burning-red melodrama wax across the screen,as the writers dig into the gaps of the family,which go from secret mistresses,to a delightfully cheap-looking pet gorilla (aka:a man in a suit that's been half chewed by a dog.)Along with the melodramatic charm,the writers cover the sly Giallo mystery in brash Gothic Horror paint,as Corringa begins to fear that she may be about to become the latest death seen in the cats eyes.

ferbs54 "Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye" (1973) is a very unusual kind of giallo film, taking place as it does not in modern times, but rather in what appears to be the early 20th century. Is it a giallo or is it a Gothic murder mystery with a high body count? I suppose the answer must be "Who cares?" when a picture is as fun as this one. The film shows us what happens when the young, pretty Corringa (Jane Birkin) returns to her aunt's ancestral Scottish castle of Dragonstone after an extended absence; namely, a series of increasingly bizarre murders amongst the oddball inmates of the house. The picture combines some slightly graphic homicides (you know how many, and which household pet witnesses them, from the film's title, right?) with vampire lore, some hinted-at lesbianism, a maddened orangutan (who looks like a "Jungle Jim" gorilla), ravenous rats, bats, secret passageways, cemetery exploits, and incest to make one wild and heady melange. The film also features stylish direction by Antonio Margheriti, as well as gorgeous set decoration (the picture is very handsomely produced) that is shown to good advantage on this stunning-looking DVD from Blue Underground (although it's a shame that no subtitles option is offered). And how nice to see Anton Diffring, whose performance in 1960's "Circus of Horrors" so impressed me, here again playing another suave slimeball! As regards the potential viewer of "Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye" and his or her ability to guess the identity of the killer, my advice would be to not even try. Just emulate the titular tabby, sit back and enjoy the show!

missmonochrome Giallo are not really known for heavy reliance on plot, but here it is in a nutshell: Lovely schoolgirl Corringa (Jane Birkin), comes home to her ancestral castle to meet with family. Before long, the eccentric collection of guests (crazy lord, hired hooker, doctor who can't keep it in his pants long enough to treat anyone, etc.) is being murdered one by one, with no witnesses except the titular cat.I'd be able to forgive a lot if the atmosphere was sufficiently creepy, but Margheriti's idea of atmosphere is poor indoor lighting, a rather cuddly looking house pet, red paint "blood", faux Argento killer's P.O.V. shots and a never fully explained attempt at making random shots a gorilla peeking through a doorway a legitimate red herring.Aside from the random primate, all of the red herrings might as well have glaring neon signs, from the terse dinner conversation about Lord Magrieff's (Hiram Keller)insanity and the resulting argument with the doctor (Anton Diffring),to Suzanne's(Doris Kunstmann) pillow talk with that same doctor, to the untterly inane vampire nonsense (White pancake and a wind machine....scary!).The acting is B movie competent. Birkin looks prettily wide eyed,Kunstmann stalks about poutily, the only horrid performer is Keller. His vacant eyed, shaggy haired pretty boy comes across as the euro precursor/inspiration of the equally empty eyed Ashton Kutcher.All in all the plot and the mood are equally forgettable (even the power of random monkeys and the final hackneyed "twist" couldn't save the film) and this movie didn't deserve the Blue Underground treatment or any more than three stars. (Awarded for Orlatani's score,the cool poster art, and the 2 sexy females).Chalk up another one in the "loss" column for one of cult film's most over rated filmmakers.

fertilecelluloid The first fifty minutes of Margheriti's giallo holds together well. The last act, unfortunately, is all over the place and stylistically restless. Although Margheriti's penchant for zooming stretches one's patience at times, the dream-like quality of the film is enhanced more than hindered by this technical fetish for most of the story's telling. The opening murder, which occurs off-screen, uses sound and action happening just outside the frame to build atmosphere and suspense. A gorgeous young woman (Jane Birken) arrives at the mansion of her relatives and is soon wondering who the murderer of various family members and associates is. A gorilla, who seems out of place in these surroundings, is one of several red herrings Margheriti throws at us before the real killer is revealed. A strange, ginger cat, who is able to claw its way out of locked crypts, oversees each murder and may be an accomplice of sorts. A slutty woman with lesbian tendencies, a "crazy" son who suffers from loneliness, and a doctor who'd rather screw than cure the sick, comprise this film's potent character mix. Riz Ortolani produces another excellent score and cinematographer Carlo Carlini creates some striking visuals. The final revelation of the killer's identity, unfortunately, comes after a ten minute dip in the care factor. Still, this is pretty entertaining trash.