Review of Confessions of a Psycho Cat

Don't you just love with it when a blind purchase surpasses your anticipations with approximately 200%? I hoped for very little when I bought "Confessions of a Psycho Cat", especially since it got released on a DVD label specializing in cinematic trash (the Dutch equivalent of "Something Weird Video) and because the cover exclusively parades scantily dressed girls. But what I saw was a surprisingly energetic and pleasantly deranged late 60's Grindhouse gem. The rudimentary subject matter is hugely derivative and more than half of the film is sleazy padding footage (added afterwards to stretch the running time and lure more boob-fanatics), but director Herb Stanley – simply credited as "Eve" for some reason – nevertheless attempts to implement an more involving narrative structure, with many flashbacks and voice-overs. The plot sort of re-enacts the legendary concept of "The Most Dangerous Game". The wealthy but utterly deranged Viriginia Marcus is hindered to accompany her brother for the annual African safari, so she decides to throw her own private hunting party in the middle of Manhattan. She carefully selects three men with questionable pasts and offers them $100.000 if they manage to survive one whole day with her hunting them. As said, the hunting-humans plot isn't the least bit original, but who cares, as this formula always guarantees thrills and sheer excitement. Particularly in this case, where the huntress is an utterly bonkers lady (a psycho cat…) who treats her victims as animals and adapts her hunting methods to each different species. In case you're still not convinced "Confessions of a Psycho Cat" is a must-see, just wait until you see the explanation and complementary flashback sequence illustrating what caused Viriginia to lose her sanity at young age! I can only say: easily offended lovers of cute little puppies … beware! The hunting games are continuously interlarded with images of a drug party/orgy, where one of the hunting trophies seeks refuge and narrates the experiences to his naked friends. God, I love this type of film-making! "Confessions of a Psycho Cat" is completely over-the-top and tasteless, but you can't help staring at the screen wearing a big rancid smile on your face. The cinematography and editing aren't as amateurish as I initially feared and even the acting performances are somewhat adequate. The films owes part of its cult-reputation to the fact that boxing legend Jake LaMotta stars as one of the hunting targets, but it's simply a fantastically entertaining movie either way.