Witchfinder General 666 Nobody could possibly deny that the great late Antoni Margheriti was an absolute master of style and atmosphere. Margheriti's doubtlessly greatest masterpiece is "Danza Macabra" (aka. "Castle Of Blood", 1964), a personal favorite which easily ranks among the most atmospheric Horror films ever made. The man's repertoire includes quite a bunch of other great films, however. Such as the wonderfully demented Gothic tale "La Vergine Di Norimberga" ("The Virgin Of Nuremberg", 1963) or the dark Spaghetti Western "E Dio Disse A Caino" ("And God Said To Cain", 1970). Or this awesome film. "La Morte Negli Occhi Del Gatto" aka. "Seven Deaths In The Cat's Eye" (1973) is a delightfully creepy Giallo with an astonishing Gothic atmosphere. The pairing of my two favorite Horror sub-genres, namely Giallo and Gothic tales, is always a delight. Margheriti made only two Gialli, "Nude... Si Muore" (aka. "Naked You Die", 1968) and this one, and it is obvious in both of them that the man is a brilliant creator of Gothic atmosphere. Many of my fellow Giallo-fans seem to prefer "Naked You Die" (not least due to its role as an early specimen of the genre), but I actually like "Seven Deaths In The Cat's Eye" better. The Gothic elements are way stronger in this one, and I also found it to be creepier, more suspenseful and less predictable than "Naked You Die" (which is nonetheless also a very good film)."Seven Deaths In A Cat's Eye" is terrifically set in an eerie castle in the Scottish countryside. As usual in a Giallo, bodies of people murdered by a mystery killer pile up in the area. The residents of the castle include the widowed Lady MacGrieff (Francoise Christophe), who owns the castle, her cynical son Lord James MacGrieff (Hiram Keller), the beautiful and innocent niece Corringa (Jane Birkin) and her mother, a seductive French girl (Doris Kunstmann), a Doctor (Anton Diffring), two priests and a bunch of servants. As usual for a good Giallo, (almost) everybody is suspicious. "Seven Deaths In A Cat's Eye" is full of demented characters. The storyline may be a bit confused and not the most elaborate ever, but the mystery part is very good, the atmosphere is wonderfully creepy from the first minute, some of the killings are quite gruesome and the score by maestro Riz Ortolani is excellent and intensifies the suspense. The film includes little to no sleaze for a Giallo, but Jane Birkin, who plays the innocent female lead, and Doris Kunstmann, who plays the more seductive woman, are still both very nice to look at. My fellow Italian Horror fans will like to see regular supporting actor Luciano Pigozzi in the role of one of the servants. Pigozzi was present in various genres throughout the years, and Gialli and Gothic Tales were probably the two (sub-)genres he appeared in most frequently. I could not praise Antonio Margheriti enough. "Seven Deaths In A Cat's Eye" is another great film by this fantastic director, a wonderful mixture of Giallo and Gothic tale, and a film that no Italian Horror buff should miss! Highly Recommended!

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!

oowawa Q--What is a "red herring?" A--A rotting fish dragged across a fugitive's trail in order to confuse the pursuing hounds. Figuratively, in literature and film, it is a plot device used to mislead the reader/viewer into drawing false premises as to what is really going on. How's this for a "red herring": a huge gorilla peeks out the castle window as the heroine arrives, and hairy hands are later seen committing murder. Throats are slit with a straight razor. Do we have a suspect? Or how about this: vampirism is repeatedly mentioned in hushed tones as a suspected plague in the MacGrieff family. Moreover, when a family member is buried, if a cat follows the coffin to the tomb, it is rumored that the corpse will come back as a vampire. Well, the cat follows a family member's corpse to the graveyard, and the tomb is later found to be empty. Could vampires be involved? And so it goes. The red herrings are dragged around so frequently that the whole film smells very fishy. Of course, the real killer is . . . (spoiler???) . . . the one character who smells the least fishy.Okay--so this is not a film to challenge your deductive reasoning. It is however, fun to watch. The Gothic atmospherics are plastered on with a very large spatula. The detective, as brief as his appearances are, is a real original, and could have easily become the main figure in a Poirot-Columbo style film series. There is also a bit of appealing gratuitous nudity, featuring the striking German actress Doris Kunstmann. Lurid? You bet!!!

dbdumonteil An international cast in which the French actors (Birkin,Gainsbourg,Françoise Christophe) are dubbed ,"la Morte...." ,in spite of its Gothic castle ,its location in Scotland (where ,as everybody knows ,is the place where ghosts dwell) where people speak Italian(!) ,is not really a horror and fantasy movie .Although there is a legend which tells that when a (black ,of course) cat appears when somebody dies,he rises from his grave and turns into a vampire,the muddled screenplay reminds me more of a whodunit à la Agatha Christie with the killer's name you'll never guess.Characters are cardboard.Hiram Keller -whose only memorable movie is Fellini-Satyricon- is first interesting as the insane young man in the castle but he quickly degenerates into a bland romantic pretty boy.Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin were in love at the time ,but their playing in the film are diametrically opposite.Birkin takes her part seriously ,eyes bulging with fear ,whereas her then-partner,who was smarter ,gives a could -not-care-less funny performance as a local Hercule Poirot.Like this?Try these..'La Maschera Del Demonio" Mario Bava 1960 "Terrore Nello Spazio " Mario Bava 1965"Nella Stretta Morsa Del Ragno" Antonio Margheriti (Anthony Dawson) 1970