Masters of Horror - The Black Cat (2007)

The Black Cat is a fantastical tale based on the life of one of the most prolific literary icons in history. Directed by the legendary Stuart Gordon this film is a gut-wrenching soon-to-be horror classic. A stunning mix of eloquent beauty cringe-inducing horror pristine cinematography and dynamic performances makes this macabre masterpiece one of the most anticipated releases in the Masters Of Horror library.System Requirements:Running Time: 60 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 013138990686 Manufacturer No: N9906 Product Description

stuart redeems himself : spoiler

this is one of the best masters of horror, had a really cute ending to a thrilling horror masterpiece May 2, 2008

A WASTE OF MONEY.

I DIDN'T LIKE THIS AT ALL.IT WAS VERY BORING.IT MOSTLY SHOWED HIS WIFE DYING.IT KEPT SHOWING THAT OVER AND OVER,BUT IN DIFFERENT FORMS OF HER DYING.HE'S STARTING TO GO NUTS BECAUSE HE DOESN'T WANT TO LOSE HER-THAN HE STARTS TO IMAGINE THINGS THAT THE BLACK CAT'S DOING.THEN HE STARTS TO PICK ON THE CAT.I CAN'T TELL NO MORE ABOUT IT BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THERE IS.I'M A BIG FAN OF THE MASTERS OF HORROR-BUT THIS IS STUPID AND A WASTE OF MONEY.THAT'S MY OPINION.I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS MOVIE.
March 8, 2008

"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?"

Until viewing this I was not familiar with the Masters Of Horror series, but when I heard that Stuart Gordon was directing an hour long feature on the great Gothic poet/writer, Edgar Allan Poe, my curiosity was deeply piqued. Initially I was worried they would turn his life and genious into an unflattering mess but they brilliantly twisted bits and pieces of his real life into the inspiration for his disturbing story, "The Black Cat". Jeffrey Combs does a fantastic job and an uncanny likeness to E.A. Poe by portraying his descent into madness through alcoholism and his struggle to be recognized in the literary world while also showing his softer side through the love for his cousin/wife.

I confidently feel that any fan or admirer of Edgar Allan Poe's work will enjoy and appreciate this latest installment of the series. Just be warned, if your an animal lover like myself you'll find there to be a few squeamish parts difficult to watch. But as another reviewer stated: No animals were harmed in the making of this film! December 31, 2007

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another equal worst episode of the series. the entire thing is like watching paint dry from start to finish. it could have been edited down to 10 minutes and would still have failed to hold my interest. it has the requisite bloody gore scene which comes out of nowhere and as always is shot close up centre frame to make it a contextless spectacle. December 7, 2007

COMBS IS A DEAD RINGER FOR POE

With the latest Masters of Horror DVD release, you don't just get one Master of Horror, but three: Director Stuart Gordon, Actor Jeffrey Combs, and early master of the macabre tale Edgar Allan Poe. The three combine to bring you one of Poe's best-known tales, The Black Cat. Gordon and Combs are certainly no strangers to each other. They first worked together in 1985 on the cult classic Re-Animator, and would team again on films such as From Beyond and Castle Freak. This time they tackle a Poe story that has been adapted several times but never all that well.

The interesting thing about the production is how the writers Gordon and Dennis Paoli combine Poe's own life with his tale. Rather than an unnamed narrator, Poe himself becomes the narrator as the screenplay cleverly mixes Poe's original tale, with events from Poe's actual life. Poe is played brilliantly by Jeffrey Combs. When Combs is made up, the likeness to photos of Poe is uncanny. I actually had to a double take to see that it was really Combs. I've grown accustomed to his wild-eyed, nebbish roles that he took me by surprise.

As the film opens, Poe is already famous for his horror tales and his publisher demands more while Poe would prefer to write poetry. He struggles to make ends meet and provide for his wife Virgina. Desperate for income, they decide to sell Virgina's beloved piano however Edgar insists his wife play a song for a potential buyer. While playing, she begins to cough up bursts of blood due to being inflicted with consumption, or Tuberculosis as it's called today. This is, in fact, all true. Virginia did break a blood vessel while singing and playing the piano. As Virginia's condition worsens, Poe begins to drink more and more, and becomes increasingly irritated with their pet cat, Pluto. In a fit of a drunken rage, Poe gouges one of the cat's eyes out with a penknife. The battle of wills between cat and man eventually leads to the film's chilling ending but with a twist on the original tale.

The Black Cat is beautifully filmed. Most of the film appears in a washed out color palette that borders on black & white. This is contrasted by the bright red crimson of Virginia's blood and the deep emerald eyes of Pluto. Combs and Elyse Levesque give superb performances as Edgar and Virginia. Combs immerses himself into the tragic psyche of the lead character who, despite his literary successes, lived a life of destitution, alcoholism. and eventually madness, which only worsened after Virginia's death. Levesque is the supportive wife, willing to sacrifice her own comforts, and even her fragile health, for her husband.

The Black Cat is not the usual Masters of Horror episode. Its horror is more subtly spread; although gore fans shouldn't be too disappointed...this is, after all, from the guy who gave us Re-Animator! There are a few nice extras on the disc: Audio commentary with Gordon and Combs; a short feature on the various special effects; a fifteen minute "making of" documentary, photo gallery, and DVD-ROM script.

REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON November 9, 2007

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