Well, one more version of "The Black Cat". Let's see...Dario Argento has done it, Lucio Fulci has done it, Sergio Martino has done it and that's the ones I can think of right now. Others have adapted "The Black Cat" as well. But I'll be damned if this isn't the finest version I've seen so far.
The aforementioned directors put a different spin on the story and that's the case here as well. The original story's writer, Edgar A. Poe, is the central character. Not only do you get the important elements from "The Black Cat", you also get a glimpse of the author's life as well. Poe, living in poverty with his sick wife, succumbs to drinking and fearing he may have lost the talent to write. But salvation appears in the form of that fateful black cat.
We're used to seeing Stuart Gordon (and Jeffrey Combs, for that matter) in H.P. Lovecraft territory and those collaborations resulted in the gruesome twosome "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond", both excellent horror films. Gordon is no less skillful in adapting Poe to the screen and his "Black Cat" is a superb combination of tragedy and gruesome horror.
The love story between Poe and his wife is wonderfully handled and the gruesome bits are masterfully executed as well, no small feat to achieve. This is also thanks to a wonderful central performance by Jeffrey Combs who's had a nearly flawless career in horror movies.
The sets are great and the scenery wonderfully atmospheric. This is one of the best "Masters of Horror" episodes.
Highly recommended.
The aforementioned directors put a different spin on the story and that's the case here as well. The original story's writer, Edgar A. Poe, is the central character. Not only do you get the important elements from "The Black Cat", you also get a glimpse of the author's life as well. Poe, living in poverty with his sick wife, succumbs to drinking and fearing he may have lost the talent to write. But salvation appears in the form of that fateful black cat.
We're used to seeing Stuart Gordon (and Jeffrey Combs, for that matter) in H.P. Lovecraft territory and those collaborations resulted in the gruesome twosome "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond", both excellent horror films. Gordon is no less skillful in adapting Poe to the screen and his "Black Cat" is a superb combination of tragedy and gruesome horror.
The love story between Poe and his wife is wonderfully handled and the gruesome bits are masterfully executed as well, no small feat to achieve. This is also thanks to a wonderful central performance by Jeffrey Combs who's had a nearly flawless career in horror movies.
The sets are great and the scenery wonderfully atmospheric. This is one of the best "Masters of Horror" episodes.
Highly recommended.