SevenDeathsintheCatsEye

Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye (1973)

This is a cool little Giallo that follows a series of grisly murders at a Scottish Castle. Members of the MacGrieff family are being killed off, but at first the family hides that fact from the local authorities. But as more bodies show up with terrible wounds they become suspicious that someone is killing the members of the family for a reason. And they have many suspects. Is it Lord MacGrieff, who is quite insane and keeps an orangutan around as a pet? Or perhaps is his mother Lady MacGrieff who is desperate for her sister’s money to keep from losing the family estate? Then again there is her scheming lover and Doctor who has some plans of his own. Then again maybe the legends about the family having vampirism in their blood could be true! By the time the credits roll all the questions are answered and everything is revealed.

Not only does the movie tie up all the loose ends, but it does so in a satisfying way. There is an interesting twist that is entirely plausible and explains the random body that appears in the family’s basement. This is the kind of movie that you will think you have figured out, only to have something throw off again. I rather like movies that keep me guessing with twists and turns that are realistic and fun. But this isn’t just a mystery. There are a few over the top plot elements like the orangutan, which is really just a man in a monkey suit running around. The movie even hints that the beast could be a suspect in the murders! How twisted and silly is that? Speaking of twisted there is also a nice bit of sleaze in the movie. Almost from the start the Lord’s French tutor has eyes for the Lord’s cousin that is visiting. The fact that they are both beautiful ladies doesn’t seem to be a problem for her. Oh and the fact that she is also sleeping with Lady MacGrieff’s lover, the good Dr. Franz isn’t a big deal either. I mean you really can’t have a genre movie from the Europe during the early 70s without just a bit of sleaze.

For a movie from the early 70s the violence and effects are pretty well done. You get a couple of throat slashes that work nicely on camera. Right from the start you get a gander at a ripe corpse with rats nibbling on it that is nifty looking as well. I also got a kick out of the Orangutan, which looks both silly and sort of scary at the same time. Don’t expect over the top gore here, but it does fit the story and overall vibe of the movie.

The DVD that I’m reviewing is from Blue Underground. There is one special feature on that release that I wanted to mention. It is an interview with co writer Giovanni Simonelli. It is less than 10 minutes long, but covers how he got into the business, what working with the director Antonio Margheriti was like, and his theory on writing the Giallo stories like this one. It isn’t terribly informative, but they do pack some interesting stuff into the very short runtime.

Bottom line here is that Seven Death’s in the Cat’s Eye is a satisfying movie that delivers some blood, sleaze, and a cool who done it story. I was entertained from start to finish and highly recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of Giallos. It might not be the best example of the genre, but it is still a damn fine one. As I mentioned earlier this DVD is out from Blue Underground. Head over to their website at http://www.blue-underground.com/ for more information on this and their other killer releases.

3 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer