The Black Cat (1981)

I'm not as familiar with Lucio Fulci as I am with other Italian directors such as Dario Argento, but I really enjoyed his classic movie 'Zombie Flesh Eaters' when I was a teenager. I recently picked up the Arrow release of 'The Black Cat' and was intrigued by the premise and that it was inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe story. It did however turn out to have little to do with Poe, but I won't hold that against it.

The story is set in a small village in England where a number of mysterious deaths occur. An American photographer staying in the village begins to suspect a black cat of being more than it appears to be and starts investigating the murders.

Like other Italian horror films I have seen it is more about mood and atmosphere than story. You kinda have to lean back and just enjoy the experience and not think too much about every single plot point. The camera work is simply amazing totally blew me away. Almost every single shot could be framed and hung on the wall. The gothic setting is beautiful and creates a great atmosphere.

The weakest point of this movie is it's lack of characters I cared about or found interesting. Other than that it is a great little flick, and I'm looking forward to seeing more Lucio Fulci films in the future.