Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eyes (1973)

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Right genres, wrong melting pot. This giallo-ish, hammer horror-y hybrid starts out like it might be worth watching, but before long in come endless drawn out sequences of scared characters wailing about in poorly lit corridors and basements with an overbearing soundtrack that gets more annoying by the minute playing over everything too loudly. Soon I couldn't figure out what was going on any more, and didn't care any more either. There are a couple of decent bits including a nicely eerie dream sequence, but it's not enough to save it from also-ran 70's cut price b-movie mediocrity.The following year Anton Diffring would also star in the vaguely similar but vastly more entertaining werewolf/blaxploitation campfest The Beast Must Die.

Antonio Margheriti, director of Gothic horror classics such as "The Virgin of Nuremberg" and "Castle of Blood", strikes again with this wonderfully stylish amalgamation between Gothic and giallo! The young Corringa is brought up to the Scottish castle for a gathering of the MacGrieff family. They have serious financial problems and might have to sell the family castle soon, but there's an even bigger danger lurking. A series of grisly murders takes place in the castle and the only witness to them all is a seemly unimpressed and fat cat. "Seven Deaths in a Cat's Eye" is a little slow and confusing at times, but it's an overall very atmospheric and tense Gothic thriller. The hunt for the killer, on the other hand, is pure giallo-greatness with a couple very effective red herrings and a rather surprising denouement. There obviously wasn't a lot of budget involved, still the murders are quite gory, with some uncanny throat-slitting and the devouring of corpses by hungry rats! The immense castle, imaginatively named "Dragonston", is an excellent filming location with a large number of dark cellars, vaults and secret passageways. The cat itself hasn't got anything to do with the plot – I even think some of the characters weren't even aware of her/his presence – but it's makes a lovely title and the animal looks very cute, a little bit like chubby Garfield. The music (by Riz Ortolani) and the cinematography are both very enchanting and contribute in making this film a must-see for fans of vintage Italian horror.

Giallo are not really known for heavy reliance on plot, but here it is in a nutshell: Lovely schoolgirl Corringa (Jane Birkin), comes home to her ancestral castle to meet with family. Before long, the eccentric collection of guests (crazy lord, hired hooker, doctor who can't keep it in his pants long enough to treat anyone, etc.) is being murdered one by one, with no witnesses except the titular cat.I'd be able to forgive a lot if the atmosphere was sufficiently creepy, but Margheriti's idea of atmosphere is poor indoor lighting, a rather cuddly looking house pet, red paint "blood", faux Argento killer's P.O.V. shots and a never fully explained attempt at making random shots a gorilla peeking through a doorway a legitimate red herring.Aside from the random primate, all of the red herrings might as well have glaring neon signs, from the terse dinner conversation about Lord Magrieff's (Hiram Keller)insanity and the resulting argument with the doctor (Anton Diffring),to Suzanne's(Doris Kunstmann) pillow talk with that same doctor, to the untterly inane vampire nonsense (White pancake and a wind machine....scary!).The acting is B movie competent. Birkin looks prettily wide eyed,Kunstmann stalks about poutily, the only horrid performer is Keller. His vacant eyed, shaggy haired pretty boy comes across as the euro precursor/inspiration of the equally empty eyed Ashton Kutcher.All in all the plot and the mood are equally forgettable (even the power of random monkeys and the final hackneyed "twist" couldn't save the film) and this movie didn't deserve the Blue Underground treatment or any more than three stars. (Awarded for Orlatani's score,the cool poster art, and the 2 sexy females).Chalk up another one in the "loss" column for one of cult film's most over rated filmmakers.

The first fifty minutes of Margheriti's giallo holds together well. The last act, unfortunately, is all over the place and stylistically restless. Although Margheriti's penchant for zooming stretches one's patience at times, the dream-like quality of the film is enhanced more than hindered by this technical fetish for most of the story's telling. The opening murder, which occurs off-screen, uses sound and action happening just outside the frame to build atmosphere and suspense. A gorgeous young woman (Jane Birken) arrives at the mansion of her relatives and is soon wondering who the murderer of various family members and associates is. A gorilla, who seems out of place in these surroundings, is one of several red herrings Margheriti throws at us before the real killer is revealed. A strange, ginger cat, who is able to claw its way out of locked crypts, oversees each murder and may be an accomplice of sorts. A slutty woman with lesbian tendencies, a "crazy" son who suffers from loneliness, and a doctor who'd rather screw than cure the sick, comprise this film's potent character mix. Riz Ortolani produces another excellent score and cinematographer Carlo Carlini creates some striking visuals. The final revelation of the killer's identity, unfortunately, comes after a ten minute dip in the care factor. Still, this is pretty entertaining trash.