Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye (1973)

International sex symbol Jane Birkin (of BLOW-UP and "Je t'aime..." fame) stars as Corringa, a beautiful young girl who returns from a convent school to her family's ancestral castle. But within these walls seethes unspeakable evil, including religious fervor, depraved desires, and sudden, sadistic murder. Now, someone with a taste for terror is slaughtering the castle's demented guests. Six have already met their deaths...and for delicious Corringa, the ultimate torment is still to come!

Anton Diffring (CIRCUS OF HORRORS), Hiram Keller (FELLINI SATYRICON) and the infamous French superstar Serge Gainsbourg co-star in this luridly gothic giallo co-written and directed by Antonio Margheriti (CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE, CASTLE OF BLOOD), featuring an intense score by Riz Ortolani (MONDO CANE), and presented uncut, uncensored and fully restored from original European vault materials.

Enjoyable Gothic Giallo

Gothic horror and Italian gialli are my favorite sub-genres. Naturally, I was excited to discover "Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye" - an Italian giallo that is set at a crumbling, turn-of-the-century Scottish castle that is replete with secret passageways, dungeons, mausoleums, fog enshrouded landscapes, and night creatures such as bats and rats. This film is directed by famous Antonio Margheriti who directed the giallo "Naked You Die," which was co-written by Mario Bava. A great musical score is provided by Riz Ortolani who also provided the score for Lucio Fulci's "Perversion Story."

Beautiful Corringa (Jane Birken of "Blow-Up") is expelled from her convent school; she returns to her ancestral home, a crumbling castle owned by her Aunt Mary who is in financial straits. One by one, Corringa's strange relatives and associates are murdered by means of suffocation, throat slashing, and bludgeoning. Most everyone is a suspect until they are found dead. The ending is shocking. I never guessed who the killer was. This is a very enjoyable whodunit from Margheriti. It is highly recommended for fans of Italian gialli and gothic horror.
July 3, 2008

In My Top 10 Giallos

How could anyone call this a mess? How many giallo movies have you seen that weren't by Argento or Bava (I'm not bashing them, they're great!) This film has a fantastically spooky atmosphere replete with rumours of vampirism, razorblade slashings, and an orang-u-tan *that's how he pronounces it, even though it's clearly a gorilla haw haw) If you enjoy old gothic horror (think Hammer, but without the extra serving of cheese), and above-average giallo's, then definitely give this one a try..you won't guess who the killer is! (unless you've seen Don't Torture a Duckling or Who Saw Her Die?...or a myriad of other giallos lol) So kick back, turn on some colored lights, grab a glass of vino (and your cat, if he's around!), and enjoy! May 4, 2008

A "hammer"-esque Italian Giallo

Seven Deaths in a Cat's Eye is not your typical giallo. Though the title is reminicent of many other giallo's made in the 70's by incorporating an "animal" in the title, it is a little different. We do not have a gloved killer dressed in black going around and violent slashing people. It is instead a murder mystery that surrounds a group of family members in an old castle that start getting killed off one by one by a mysterious killer. Because it stray's from the formula a bit Seven Deaths in a Cat's Eye might disappoint people who live and breath by Dario Argento's films.

Just because it strays from the formula a bit and has little gore doesn't make it a giallo? Hell no! That's like saying Psycho isn't a horror film because it doesn't show gore or have a masked undead killer. Giallo simply means "murder mystery" and that is exactly what this film is. Just because it doesn't copy Argento frame by frame does not make it a giallo. I actually commend Antonio Margheriti for trying something different. Along with his stylish directing, he also injected the film with a thick atmosphere VERY reminisent of old Hammer films. Very gothic in feeling. Like those films, the movie doesn't move at a 100 mph but lets the mystery and atmosphere take you along. Unless you are a young, small minded viewer whose attention can only be kept by today's modern fast adn flashy editing then you should have no problem with this film.

Is Seven Deaths in a Cat's Eye a terrific film? No. But it is a good film that really deserves to be viewed. The atmosphere is thick, the directing is great....just don't expect an Argento giallo and you will find Seven Deaths to your liking. August 5, 2006

A mess. Avoid

This film should be avoided by all but the most extreme completists. Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye is one boring, silly, and messy film. Though it is for some reason presented as a giallo, it really is not. At least, to me, it does not possess enough of the prerequisite characteristics. For me a giallo is a contemporary blend of thriller/horror/detective elements, usually with a psychological mystery or conundrum at its heart. A giallo is also usually a hard R motion picture, typically being somewhat graphic in a variety of ways. Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye, however, is almost PG material. It is not a giallo; it is a clumsy gothic costume drama. You'll be sick of all the inept characters in this ho-hum pseudo shocker, just as you'll be sick of the film. Oh, and you'll REALLY be sick of inexplicably having to watch an orange cat walk around, which, except for the film's title and a dumb line of dialogue at the end, really has nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the movie. In short, Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye has one lazy script, which can barely hold its many loose ends together in a cohesive whole. In a lame nod to Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue, an orangutan (a man in a shoddy ape suit) pointlessly appears in some scenes, only to be killed off in a nonsensical manner. None of it really has anything to do with the rest of the film however. Suspense, further, is never generated, as we end up watching a few people walk around a castle for an hour and a half, talking about vampires, curses, affairs, and money. Some of the locales are nice, but the film is a total yawn and the acting is terrible all around. Yes, Serge Gainsbourg is in the movie for about five minutes, but he cannot act his way out of a paper bag. Watch Black Belly of the Tarantula, Deep Red, Tenebre, or The Bird with the Crystal Plumage instead. April 5, 2006

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