Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye (1973) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye is a 1973 Italian horror movie directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Jane Birkin, Hiram Keller, Francoise Christophe and Serge Gainsbourg.

The movie begins with someone dragging a dead body into a basement. A ginger cat is watching. Cut to Corringa(Birkin) who is going to stay in Dragonstone Castle in Scotland. She used to visit there with her mother in the past. She meets her mother, Lady Alicia(Dana Ghia) and also her Aunt Mary MacGrieff(Christophe). A woman called Suzanne(Doris Kunstmann) is there also. She is a French teacher. James(Keller) is her cousin who also happens to be there. James who has a pet gorilla also called James. Two more people live in the castle- Dr. Franz(Anton Diffring) and Father Robertson(Venantino Venantini). Mary has little money and she is going to have to sell the castle. Lady Alicia is not going to help her with her money issues. Lady Alicia is smothered with a pillow by an unknown killer.

Corringa sees James at her window and she is creeped out. She hears a cat howling. She looks for the cat. She finds a passageway underneath the castle and discovers the dead body from the beginning of he movie. She passes out. Dr. Franz thinks that Alicia was murdered. The cat watches her funeral and jumps on the coffin. The locals discuss the strange cat. It follows people and there is some story about vampires. Corringa talks to James and he tells her she should leave. She tells him about the body she found. Dr. Franz is having an affair with Suzanne. A man called Angus is murdered. The cat sneaks into Corringa's bed and scratches her. She has a nightmare about it.

A policeman(Gainsbourg) comes to the castle. He shows Dr. Franz the body of Angus. Dr. Franz is worried about the police finding out that he gave Alicia a death certificate stating that she died of natural causes. Corringa tells James that she needs to go to the family tomb and see if her mother is still in her coffin. She does so and discovers that the coffin has been broken. Her mother is no longer in it. James is following her. His gorilla has been let out of its cage, Corringa and James sleep together. Dr.Franz gets killed next. The cat is there. The gorilla gets killed. Mary wants to get rid of Suzanne.

The inspector shows up. He knows that Alicia was murdered. Carringa tells him about the empty coffin. She finds a cufflink in the tomb. It belongs to James. He tells her that he had to cover up the murders. He hides because he thinks that the cops will take him in.The inspector is looking for him. He is hiding in a cave. Suzanne is the next to die. Corringa finds Mary standing over her body. She chases Corringa. They end up in the cave. Corringa finds her mother's body in there. James talks to the inspector and tells him that the killer is in the castle. The priest is the killer. He posed as a priest so he could kill the family members and inherit everything.He is actually part of the MacGrieff family too. The inspector turns up in time to find out the truth.

This is an interesting giallo. There are a lot of red herrings in it but it is fun trying to figure out who the killer is. I liked the kitty too. I will give it a 5/10.

Dead of Night (1977) Movie Review

Dead of Night is a 1977 anthology movie directed by Dan Curtis and starring Ed Begley Jr., Patrick Macnee and Elisha Cook. Jr.

The first story is called Second Chance. It begins with a guy called Frank Cantrell(Begley Jr.) who goes to look at an old car. The car was in an accident in the past and he buys it. He is going to restore it to its former glory. He works on it and drives it. He ends up being transported back to 1926. Someone takes the car and tell him that they own it and he ends up stuck in a place called Cresswell. He goes to sleep and wakes up in his own time. Frank meets his girlfriend's grandparents. The grandad has the same car as Frank. He gives it to Frank on one condition- he gets one last ride in it.  The grandparents tell Frank that they nearly died in the car back in the 1920's. Frank asks them if someone saved them from taking a dangerous turn. He realises that the car is indeed the same one he had bought earlier and the couple who took it from him in the 1920's are his girlfriend's grandparents. They were saved from crashing by him meeting them. If they had died, his girlfriend would never have existed and he wouldn't be with her. The segment ends with Frank and his girlfriend marrying and Frank restoring the car.

The second tale is called No Such Thing as a Vampire. A woman wakes up screaming. She is called Alexis(Anjanette Comer) and she thinks that she is going to die. She believes in the existence of vampires. Her neck is bleeding and she thinks that she has been bitten. Dr Gheria(Macnee) is doubtful about what she says. A man called Michael arrives to help the doctor who explains about her belief in vampires.  He says he has been attacked by a vampire too. The doctor puts something into Michael's tea to knock him out and he draws blood from Alexis and puts in onto Michael's lips. Then he puts him into a coffin. He goes to his servant and tells him to search the house for vampires. They discover Michael in the attic. The servant kills him. It turns out that Michael was Alexis' lover. Dr. Gheria was aware of this and set him up to be killed under orders from Alexis' husband.

The final tale is titled Bobby. It begins with a woman, Alma(Joan Hackett), who is performing a black mass. Her son has died. She calls on the spirits to come and obey her. She wants her dead son back. She hears knocking at the door. She sees her son. He has come back. He tells her that he was picked up on the beach by people. He didn't die after all. He asks her some strange questions. He seems angry at her. They play hide and seek. He turns out the lights and tries to kill her. She wasn't a very good mother to him. He gets a sledgehammer and chases her with it. She shoots him and he falls out of the window. He comes back for her. He pushes her down the stairs. He tells her that he drowned himself to get away from her. He is a demon and her son Bobby sent him back to get revenge.

This is a fun anthology. The stories are good and the cast do a good job. This is an above average TV movie directed by Dan Curtis who also directed the great Burnt Offerings and lots more besides. I recommend this for fans of anthologies. I will give it a 5/10.