The Crimes of the Black Cat is a 1972 Italian giallo film, directed by Sergio Pastore and starring Anthony Steffen and Sylva Koscina.
It revolves around a killer who uses a black cat to to his (or her, no spoilers here!) bidding, giving each victim a yellow shawl containing chemicals that attract the cat. The first victim was involved with Peter Oliver (Anthony Steffen), a blind pianist. He starts to investigate the murders and discovers more to it then meets the eye...
Overall, the film is very dull and lacks excitement. The few action sequences are poorly staged, most notably a scene where Peter is kidnapped and left to fall to his death. The cinematography by Guglielmo Mancori is excellent but is only highlighted in a few minutes of the film. The film overuses a replay effect that takes place when the cat attacks, which could be the editor's fault. The music is fine but not exceptional by any means.
The killer's identity is admittedly surprising but the backstory is ridiculous, never even once giving us a clue beforehand. Similarly is the way the killer dispatches of the victims, which is ridiculously complex but admittedly original.
Anthony Steffen is given a character that could have been interesting and complex had thought been put into it, but similarly to The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, Steffen fails to add depth to his character. The acting overall is forgettable, with the exception of Giovanna Lenzi (credited as Jeanette Len in the actual film), who perfectly conveys her character.
The murders are very tame, with the exception of a nasty shower death that adds some excitement to the film, even if the effects are not the best. The film overuses a replay effect that takes place when the cat attacks.
Overall, the film is very dull. Perhaps if more action sequences were added it wouldn't be as bad. A giallo lover might want to get a copy, but if you're new to the giallo, you might want to skip this one.
It revolves around a killer who uses a black cat to to his (or her, no spoilers here!) bidding, giving each victim a yellow shawl containing chemicals that attract the cat. The first victim was involved with Peter Oliver (Anthony Steffen), a blind pianist. He starts to investigate the murders and discovers more to it then meets the eye...
Overall, the film is very dull and lacks excitement. The few action sequences are poorly staged, most notably a scene where Peter is kidnapped and left to fall to his death. The cinematography by Guglielmo Mancori is excellent but is only highlighted in a few minutes of the film. The film overuses a replay effect that takes place when the cat attacks, which could be the editor's fault. The music is fine but not exceptional by any means.
The killer's identity is admittedly surprising but the backstory is ridiculous, never even once giving us a clue beforehand. Similarly is the way the killer dispatches of the victims, which is ridiculously complex but admittedly original.
Anthony Steffen is given a character that could have been interesting and complex had thought been put into it, but similarly to The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, Steffen fails to add depth to his character. The acting overall is forgettable, with the exception of Giovanna Lenzi (credited as Jeanette Len in the actual film), who perfectly conveys her character.
The murders are very tame, with the exception of a nasty shower death that adds some excitement to the film, even if the effects are not the best. The film overuses a replay effect that takes place when the cat attacks.
Overall, the film is very dull. Perhaps if more action sequences were added it wouldn't be as bad. A giallo lover might want to get a copy, but if you're new to the giallo, you might want to skip this one.