The time has come for The Black Cat blu-ray review. I’m talking about director Lucio Fulci’s 1981 horror film. I’ll admit I had not seen this one but fortunately it’s still available on bluray released by Arrow Video. Let’s find out if it’s worth a look.
- The Black Cat (1981)
- Genre: Horror
- Directed by Lucio Fulci
- UK Rating 15
- Discs: 1
- Released By Arrow Video
- Blu-ray Released: 4 April 2016
Plot
After several apparent accidental deaths in a small English village occur the local police call in Scotland Yard. Inspector Gorley arrives to try and make sense of these seemingly unrelated deaths. Meanwhile, American tourist /photographer Jill Trevers begins looking around the village and stubbles across Professor Miles (Patrick Magee) who lives alone in a large house with a black cat.
Style / Direction
Lucio Fulci directs whilst Sergio Salvati handled the cinematography.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is provided by Pino Donaggio.
Acting / Characters
The acting is pretty strong for film of this type with Patrick Magee providing a strong performance as medium Prof. Robert Miles. He’s very intense and does give weight to the rather silly storyline.
To be fair Mimsy Farmer as Jill Trevers the American photographer does a reasonable job with her underdeveloped role. She provides the viewers perspective as to what is really occurring with the black cat and professor.
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
Conclusion: The Black Cat (1981) Film Review
It’s hard to take The Black Cat (1981) too seriously. One of my main issues is the film never really reveals why the cat targets certain villagers over others. There are of course some good points worth mentioning. Patrick Magee as Prof. Robert Miles as I mentioned earlier really elevates this film from a poor offering to a worth watching one.
I suppose the film really falls into the category of being pretty bad yet still worth a look.
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Conclusion: The Black Cat Blu-ray Review
The state of the picture quality is pretty good for the most part. However there is some damage in the form of lines on the right of the picture that appear from time to time. This Arrow Video release does state that it’s undergone a new 2K restoration so I’m at a loss why these obvious lines haven’t been removed.
On the extras side of things Arrow include a raft of interesting extras as per normal. I’d recommend giving film historian Stephen Thrower’s feature ‘From Poe into Fulci: The Spirit of Perverseness’ a look.
Extras
- Audio Commentary
- From Poe into Fulci: The Spirit of Perverseness (26 mins)
- In the Paw-Prints of The Black Cat (8 mins)
- Frightened Dagmar (20 mins)
- At Home with David Warbeck (70 mins)
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversable Sleeve
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Popcorn Cinema Rating: The Black Cat (1981)
MOVIE RATING: WORTH A LOOK
BLU-RAY PICTURE: GOOD
EXTRAS: EXCELLENT
The Black Cat (1981) Film Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip may not be representative of the blu-ray version
That concludes The Black Cat blu-ray review, I’m aiming to review more horror movies soon. What’s next? Check back soon…
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Summary: The Black Cat (1981) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: The Black Cat (1981)
Movie description: Released on blu-ray by Arrow Video
Duration: 92 mins
Director(s): Lucio Fulci
Actor(s): Patrick Magee, Mimsy Farmer, David Warbeck, Al Cliver, Dagmar Lassander, Bruno Corazzari, Geoffrey Copleston, Daniela Doria
Genre: Horror
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Movie Rating
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Blu-ray Picture Rating
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Extras
Summary
A pretty silly idea which somehow is still worth a look.
Pros
- Decent Cast
- 2K restoration
Cons
- Rather Silly Story
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