Director: Sergio Martino
Writers: Edgar Allan Poe, Ernesto Gastaldi, Luciano Martino, Sauro Scavolini
Composer: Bruno Nicolai
Starring: Edwige Fenech, Anita Strindberg, Luigi Pistilli, Ivan Rassimov, Angela La Vorgna, Enrica Bonaccorti, Daniela Giordano, Ermelinda De Felice, Marco Mariani, Nerina Montagnani
More info: IMDb
Plot: The decadent and alcoholic writer Oliviero (Pistilli) has Oedipus complex and is the abusive husband of the submissive Irina (Strindberg) that is frequently humiliated. They live in a dilapidated mansion that belonged to Oliviero's mother and he likes to promote decadent parties for hippies that are camped nearby the real state. Irina is scared of his cat Satan that belonged to his mother. When Oliviero's mistress and former student Fausta (Giordano) schedules an encounter with him and is found dead, he becomes the prime suspect of the local police inspector.
My rating: 7/10
Will I watch it again? Yes.
With strong characters and performances (especially from Pistilli, who plays a great bastard, Fenech and Strindberg), this Giallo has a lot to offer. Pistilli wallows in the twisted Oliviero and he's so easy to hate on. The locations, sets, camera work, story, everything is nicely done. The score has an old world feel to it that fits nicely with the visuals and Nicolai also has themes that mirror contemporary Italian Gialli. It's erotic at times and there's a lot of nudity but it's not excessive. This isn't some cheap thriller thrown together to get buts in seats. The filmmakers went that extra mile to turn out a good, interesting, entertaining thriller that has the added bonus of being somewhat based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story, The Black Cat. Doesn't that sound like fun? Giallo isn't a genre I'm fond of because it's got to be good for me to like it. Spaghetti Westerns, for example, have different elements I can enjoy even if the movie isn't good. I dug this film and I'm hoping to have better luck like this when watching others in the genre.
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