Nightmare Concert (A Cat in the Brain) (1990) Un gatto nel cervello (original title)

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Lucio Fulci (story) and
Giovanni Simonelli (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

8 August 1990 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A horror film director is stalked by a mad psychiatrist/serial killer bent on killing people to model the killings after the director's gory death scenes from his movies.

Plot Keywords:

Film Director | Microwave Oven | Splatter | Bloodletting | Yacht

Cast

Lucio Fulci	...	Dr. Lucio Fulci
David L. Thompson	...	Professor Egon Swharz
Malisa Longo	...	Katya Swharz
Shilett Angel	...	Filippo the Producer
Jeoffrey Kennedy	...	Inspector Gabriele Vanni
Brett Halsey	...	Human Monster (archive footage)
Ria De Simone	...	The Soprano (archive footage)
Sacha Darwin	...	Woman in Oven (archive footage)
Paola Cozzo	...	Nurse Lilly (as Judy Morrow)
Robert Egon	...	Second Monster / Himself (also archive footage)
Layla Frank	...	Nighmare Victim (archive footage)
Jessica Moore	...	Nightmare Victim (archive footage) (as Georgia Moore)
Paul Muller	...	Nightmare Victim (archive footage)
Marco Di Stefano	...	Nightmare Victim (archive footage)
Maurice Poli	...	Nightmare Victim (archive footage)
Lubka Lenzi	...	Nightmare Victim (archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vincenzo Luzzi	...	Man with Chainsaw (uncredited)

Directed by
Lucio Fulci

Writing credits
Lucio Fulci		(story) and
Giovanni Simonelli		(story)
Lucio Fulci		(screenplay) and
Giovanni Simonelli		(screenplay) and
Antonio Tentori		(screenplay)

Produced by
Antonio Lucidi	....	producer (as Antonino Lucidi)
Luigi Nannerini	....	producer

Original Music by
Fabio Frizzi

Cinematography by
Alessandro Grossi

Film Editing by
Vincenzo Tomassi

Makeup Department
Maria Teresa Carrera	....	hairdresser
Giuseppe Ferranti	....	makeup artist (as Pino Ferranti)

Production Management
Maria Luisa Nannerini	....	production secretary
Silvano Zignani	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roberto Lucidi	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Roberto Barbieri	....	sound technician

Camera and Electrical Department
Giovanni Angeletti	....	gaffer
Alberto Cerchi	....	assistant camera
Massimo Galiano	....	grip
Antonio La Barbera	....	gaffer
Fabio Leoni	....	camera operator
Marco Lucidi	....	grip
Vincenzo Luzzi	....	grip
Romano Martiri	....	gaffer
Mario Occhioni	....	grip
Marcello Pericone	....	gaffer (as Marcello Perricone)
Luca Spataro	....	still photographer
Roberto Stiffi	....	generator operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Milena Printus	....	seamstress (as Milena Pintus)

Editorial Department
Paola Tomassi	....	assistant editor
Claudia Vivenzio	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Camilla Fulci	....	production coordinator
Camilla Fulci	....	script girl
Antonio Lucidi	....	administrator (as Antonino Lucidi)
Antonio Lucidi	....	cashier (as Antonino Lucidi)

Production Companies

• Executive Cine TV

Distributors

• Grindhouse Releasing (2006) (USA) (DVD) (restored) (uncut)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (video)
• Tokuma Communications Company (TCC) (Japan) (VHS)
• York Pictures Inc.

Other Companies

• C.S. Cinematografica Stiffi Roma  generators (as C.S. Cinematografica)
• Cine Sound  sound effects
• Cinecittà  development
• Cinecittà  interiors
• Cinecittà  printing
• Cinecittà  technical equipment
• Cooperativa di Lavoro Fono Roma  sound mix
• Cooperativa di Lavoro Fono Roma  synchronization
• Fuji Magnetics  film stock (as Fuji Color)
• Gj.St.Ar. Movie  sound effects
• Ribot  music publisher

Also Known As:

"Un gatto nel cervello" - Italy (original title)
"A Cat in the Brain" - USA (DVD box title)
"Cat in the Brain" - USA (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence/gore, a strong scene of sexuality and some nudity

Runtime:

87 min | Germany:66 min | USA:93 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:(Banned) (uncut) | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) (2000) | UK:(Banned) (original rating) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | USA:R | UK:18 (video rating: 2003)

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Executive Cine TV

Trivia:

This film was refused a video classification in 1999 by the British Board of Film Classification, but was finally passed uncut with an '18' rating in mid-2003.

Movie Connections:

References The Beyond (1981)

Even in his declining health Lucio Fulci still proves that he can make a great splatter.

"Cat In The Brain" is a series of extremely violent sequences knitted together by a plot that feels more like an overview, describing director Lucio Fulci's most notorious years of film-making. The movie could also be seen as a dark comedy of sorts, effectively spoofing the various claims that violent cinema causes violence in real life. Fulci goes further than that, he casts himself as the star, the central figure of the film thus showing the audience who is the man behind all the cinematic gore. "Cat in The Brain" is not about presenting a clear story and following it. Instead it pokes fun at some of the clichés that have been surrounding the horror genre for years.

Lucio Fulci plays himself as a horror director struggling to keep his humanity intact. Years of violent film making have finally began to reach him. It starts slowly, steaks and meat in general begin to disgust him, his colleagues assure Fulci that all he needs is some rest. But that doesn't help and soon the grotesque ideas for his movies begin to overwhelm his daily thoughts. In an attempt to find a cure for his dangerously maddening mental state Lucio starts going to the local psychiatrist. Unfortunately that does more wrong than good and Fulci is thrown into an even bigger mess, as the psychiatrist turns out to be a psychopath, who mimics the murders from Fulci's films in real life.

The film retains all the trademarks of Italian splatter cinema, good or bad they are all here. So any comments about the acting or the technical aspects and budget constrains are quite irrelevant as to the quality of the film. It is a visual experience, no doubts about it. Fulci throws in an incredible amount of violence easily surpassing pretty much everything he's made. Amputated by chainsaw limbs, cannibalism, child murder, decapitation, these are just some of the many grotesque acts witnessed in "Cat In The Brain". Some of them are obviously recycled from a few the director's less profile movies but they don't stand out of the context, and actually feel quite at home here. As I noted before the movie exists much better as a satire of the genre rather than a serious piece. The way some of the violence is presented does help establish that idea. Such sequences shortly after climax are rejected by the reality in the film, as they are revealed to be actually scenes inside a movie that Fulci's character is directing. This sort of "film in film" presentation lessens somewhat the impact of the gore. But in no way does it make it an easy to watch film. Oh no this is far beyond and above the levels of gore found in mainstream horror, and gorehounds will in no doubt be satisfied with that fact.

Lucio Fulci was a very polarized figure. People either hate his work or love it. "Cat in the Brain" won't convince any of Fulci's detractors in the opposite but it is nevertheless an interesting part of his filmography. One that fans should really check out.