IMDb > The Black Cat (1981)
Black Cat (Gatto nero)
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany credits
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotes
Did You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Black Cat (1981) More at IMDbPro »Black Cat (Gatto nero) (original title)

Videos
The Black Cat -- "IT PURRS, IT STALKS, IT KILLS! We all know director Lucio Fulci for his depraved nasties like New York Ripper, but if you're wondering why in France he's held in the same esteem as Hitchcock, then the deliciously eerie The Black Cat is a great place to start. Inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe tale, this black cat is a malevolent moggy that stalks through a sleepy English town appearing to fulfil the murderous wishes of its owner, the sinister psychic medium Professor Miles (Patrick Magee in fine deranged form). What Professor Miles has not reckoned on is his cat turning him into the next mouse to slowly kill! High on gothic atmospheric thanks to the moody cinematography of Sergio Salvati, this unusual Fulci tale of claustrophobic terror is a little seen gem that compares to the best output of the Hammer and Amicus studios. THE BLACK CAT is released uncut on DVD by Shameless Screen Entertainment. The film will be presented remastered in 1.85:1 with English 2.0 sound. Also included on the disc is a Shameless original trailer gallery.

Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   1,346 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Lucio Fulci
Writers:
Edgar Allan Poe (story)
Lucio Fulci (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Black Cat on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 February 1984 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Horror | Thriller See more »
Tagline:
When you heat this cat breathing down your neck...START PRAYING!!! See more »
Plot:
Robert Miles is a psychic that can communicate with the dead. He also has the ability to control the mind of his cat (who incidentally is black)... See more » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Five Essential... Films of Lucio Fulci
 (From Flickeringmyth. 19 March 2011, 2:16 AM, PDT)
Video Home Invasion: Arrow Video and Argento
 (From Twitch. 5 October 2010, 9:00 PM, PDT)
Blu-Ray Review: Cult Hits ‘City of the Living Dead,’ ‘Django’
 (From HollywoodChicago.com. 1 June 2010, 9:56 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Better than Gates of Hell See more (37 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order)
Patrick Magee ... Prof. Robert Miles

Mimsy Farmer ... Jill Trevers
David Warbeck ... Inspector Gorley
Al Cliver ... Sgt. Wilson
Dagmar Lassander ... Lillian Grayson
Bruno Corazzari ... Ferguson
Geoffrey Copleston ... Inspector Flynn
Daniela Doria ... Maureen Grayson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lucio Fulci ... Doctor (scenes deleted)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Lucio Fulci 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Lucio Fulci  screenplay
Edgar Allan Poe  story
Biagio Proietti  screenplay
Biagio Proietti  story

Produced by
Giulio Sbarigia .... producer
 
Original Music by
Pino Donaggio 
 
Cinematography by
Sergio Salvati 
 
Film Editing by
Vincenzo Tomassi 
 
Production Design by
Franco Calabrese 
 
Art Direction by
Massimo Antonello Geleng 
 
Costume Design by
Massimo Lentini 
 
Makeup Department
Maria Pia Crapanzano .... hair stylist
Franco Di Girolamo .... makeup artist
Rosario Prestopino .... assistant makeup artist
 
Production Management
Renato Angiolini .... production supervisor
Antonio Da Padova .... unit manager
Ennio Onorati .... production manager
Tommaso Pantano .... unit manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Del Bufalo .... assistant director
Roberto Giandalia .... second unit director
Victor Tourjansky .... assistant director
 
Art Department
Alfredo D'Angelo .... drapes
 
Sound Department
Nick Alexander .... dubbing editor
Fernando Caso .... sound effects
Ugo Celani .... sound
Eros Giustini .... boom operator
Alvaro Gramigna .... sound effects
 
Special Effects by
Paolo Ricci .... special effects
 
Stunts
Nazzareno Cardinali .... stunts
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Ennio Brizzolari .... key grip
Franco Bruni .... camera operator
Alfredo Fedeli .... gaffer
Roberto Forges Davanzati .... camera operator
Maurizio Lucchini .... assistant camera
Gianfranco Massa .... still photographer: action stills
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mina Tacconi .... seamstress
 
Editorial Department
Rita Antonelli .... first assistant editor
Pietro Tomassi .... second assistant editor
 
Music Department
Natale Massara .... conductor
 
Other crew
Alfredo D'Angelo .... tapestry
Pasquale Martino .... cat trainer
Daniela Tonti .... continuity
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Black Cat (Gatto nero)" - Italy (original title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
92 min
Country:
Italy
Language:
English | Italian
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Australia:M | France:-12 | Italy:VM14 | Norway:16 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | UK:15 (2007) | Hong Kong:III
Filming Locations:
England, UKSee more »
Company:
Italian International FilmSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The role of Professor Miles was intended for Donald Pleasence.See more »
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: During one of the later scenes when the cat is terrorizing Jill you can see a crew member's hands holding onto the cat.See more »
Quotes:
[Sergeant Wilson sees Jill coming out of an underground crypt]
Sergeant Wilson:Miss, let me give you some advice, don't go down there anymore.
Jill Trevers:Why not?
Sergeant Wilson:My Grandad used to tell me when I was a lad that the dead like to be left alone. They're not very hospitable.
See more »
Movie Connections:
References The Birds (1963)See more »

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
4 out of 7 people found the following review useful.
Better than Gates of Hell, 3 August 2003
Author: ian_powell (ian.powell@btinternet.com) from London

I thought this was rather good. I like Fuci for his ability to build

atmosphere rather than for gore and this film unlike for instance

City of The Living Dead had some narrative cohesion. Strong

actors also seem to help fulci...magee here and Richard

Johnstone in Zombie.

The scenes in the graveyard are the best. Sometimes a film that is

just a collage of eyegrabbing visuals can work well e.g The

Beyond....but sometimes its nice to have something approaching

either a story or an intellectual idea to back them up. Here the idea

of recording the dead and attempting to go beyond..is rather well

handled.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (37 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Black Cat (1981)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Filming locations rolykeates
I *wanted* to like it... dnphilli
any more information? billyhitchcock
Well made but lacking jameselliot-1
a new perspective ericinexile
Soundtrack berntege
See more »

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
La corta notte delle bambole di vetro Deep Red So Sweet, So Dead 99.9 The Professional: Golgo 13
IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
 IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Horror section IMDb Italy section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Edit page' button will take you through a step-by-step process.