"Masters of Horror" The Black Cat (2007)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Directors:

Stuart Gordon
Stuart Ortiz

Writers:

Mick Garris (creator)
Dennis Paoli (teleplay) ...

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

19 January 2007 (Season 2, Episode 11)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

The Black Cat, set in 1840 Philadelphia, has the great writer Edgar Allan Poe, struggling with alcoholism...

Plot Keywords:

Black Cat | Cat | 1840s | Alcoholism | Writer's Block

Cast

Jeffrey Combs	...	Edgar Allan Poe
Elyse Levesque	...	Virginia Poe
Aron Tager	...	George Graham
Eric Keenleyside	...	Sgt. Booker
Patrick Gallagher	...	Barman
Christopher Heyerdahl	...	Rufus Griswold
Ken Kramer	...	Doctor
Ian Alexander Martin	...	Mr. Fordham
Ryan Crocker	...	Policeman

Runtime:

58 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA | Australia:MA (2007) | Italy:VM14 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Starz Productions

Movie Connections:

Version of Maniac (1934)

Stuart Gordon, Jeffrey Combs, Edgar Allan Poe -- A Dream!

Stuart Gordon directs Jeffrey Combs as Edgar Allan Poe, who is struggling to write a new story. He becomes borderline insane (and incredibly drunk) with the death of his wife, and he begins an obsession with his black cat, Pluto, that is nothing short of sadistic.

I love Poe, Gordon and Combs... so I will freely admit this was my most anticipated episode of "Master of Horror"'s season 2. And I was not let down. I was attracted by the addition of an interesting film technique where the color was washed out to appear like an old photograph for everything except the blood... like "Sin City", except this was more sepia and less black and white.

And we have young Elyse Levesque as Virginia Poe. I have never heard of this woman before and probably never saw her in anything, but she is a great actress and a beautiful lady (beautiful in the true sense of beautiful, not in the sense of "hot"). I hope she sticks with horror for a bit so I can see more of her. She plays opposite Combs very smoothly.

The pacing of this film is a bit slower and not much happens at times, but I was okay with this, because the focus was on Combs and his slouch into madness. At times I think he stopped being Poe and started being Combs, but overall I was pretty impressed. Some may say Combs and Poe are now the same man, as he will become known for this role.

Some have complained about the animal violence. I didn't find it that offensive. After watching William Lustig's "Maniac" and Stephen King's "Sleepwalkers", both of which feature cat mutilation, I thought this was pretty tame. I can understand being against real animal torture, but if you can watch people being tortured, you can watch animals... it's just a movie.

Loved the blood, especially when Virginia gets her first tuberculosis attack at the piano. (This actually happened in real life, too, as you know if you know the life story of Poe.) This is blood as blood was always meant to look like in a film. Thick, runny and fear-inspiring. That moment was when I knew I hit the jackpot.

A special nod must be given to Lyn Kelly and the prop department. By no means am I an expert in the history of clothing or other objects, but Kelly did a fine job with the wardrobe and the prop guys were sure to make things as authentic as possible. The audio commentary points out the wine glasses and old piano, for example, but really the whole picture has an authentic feel.

I watched this film for the Gordon-Combs-Poe. You will like it, too, if you like these things. And I was pleased Gordon was back to his old ways with special effects, steering clear of the crappy "Dagon" graphics. I think last season's "Dreams in the Witch House" is the more enjoyable film, but this has a more artistic look and certainly deserves a viewing for any fans.