The Crimes of the Black Cat [Blu-ray]

Director: Sergio Pastore Sergio Pastore

Overview

A serial killer is murdering beautiful models in this Italian slasher film. It turns out that he is using the poisoned claws of a black cat to do it. A blind composer whose girlfriend was one of the victims sets out to stop him.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/06/2021
UPC:	0653166261824
Original Release:	1972
Source:	Cauldron Films
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00
Sales rank:	5,817

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anthony Steffen	Peter Oliver
Sylva Koscina	Françoise Ballais
Giovanna Lenzi	Susan Leclerc
Renato De Carmine	Ispettore Jansen
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart	Victor Morgan
Umberto Raho	Burton
Shirley Corrigan	Actor
Annabella Incontrera	Actor

Technical Credits

Sergio Pastore

Sandro Continenza

Giovanni Simonelli

Sergio Pastore	Director,Screenwriter
Maurizio Amati	Producer,Producer
Sandro Continenza	Screenwriter
Giovanni Simonelli	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Italian filmmaker Sergio Pastore's sole contribution to the then-thriving subgenre of giallo thrillers is among its most entertainingly flamboyant representatives. With a jaw dropping Manuel De Sica theme song, a nutty plot line crafted by Pastore with co-screenwriters Sandro Continenza and Giovanni Simonelli, and one of the most preposterous murder weapons this side of La Tarantole dal Ventre Nero, this is a must-see for giallo fans. Antonio de Teffe (credited as "Anthony Steffen") stars as Peter Oliver, a blind composer who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his ex-lover, a fashion model named Paola. Several more murders follow, and Peter begins his own investigation, discovering yellow shawls by each corpse. His initial conclusion is that the shawls -- soaked in cat repellent -- were used to induce cats whose claws had been dipped in curare to fatally scratch the victims. More murders follow (Shirley Corrigan's shower death is particularly memorable) until the sightless musician is left to face the real killer. Pastore gives genre enthusiasts all that they had come to expect, from a besieged blind hero (the emphasis on sight and watching being the defining element of the form) and a perversely unorthodox killer to graphic bloodshed, copious nudity, stylish set pieces, and a plot which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Guglielmo Mancori's cinematography is among the film's greatest strengths, illuminating key elements while maintaining much of the darkness essential to both Peter's sightless world and the requirements of terror. The supporting cast is outstanding, filled with familiar giallo performers like Sylva Koscina, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Umberto Raho, and Annabella Incontrera, and the overall effect is exactly the sort of crazed, senseless, scopophiliac delirium which genre enthusiasts cherish. An underrated gem.

All Movie Guide - Robert Firsching