Cat In The Brain

Director: Lucio Fulci

Starring: Lucio Fulci & David L. Thompson



In 1999, Grindhouse Releasing released "Cat in the Brain" on Laser Disc and the years that followed showed that region 5 DVDs of "Cat in the Brain," or any other region that wasn't 1, could reach up to $200 dollars on ebay and amazon.com.

Needless to say back in January of this year when Grindhouse Releasing announced they were going to release "Cat in the Brain" on DVD with a ton of bonus features on March 31st of this year, I was way, way excited and even more when I received my pre-ordered copy on April Fools Day.

In "Cat in the Brain," Lucio Fulci plays himself, and for those who do not know, Lucio Fulci is known by some as the "godfather of gore." So in "Cat," Fulci has to start seeing a psychiatrist because he is starting to have trouble distinguishing reality because he has directed so many gory horror films. In addition, bodies starting piling up and Fulci doesn't know if it is he that is committing the murders.

In one scene, a man is grinding up the body of a woman he recently murdered. During the film's lunch break, Fulci can't eat because he keeps imagining the scene were the man is grinding up the woman's body.

In another scene, Fulci arrives on set late and the producers have already started filming because he is so predictable and they know what his fans want. I felt with this scene, and a couple others in "Cat," that Fulci was poking fun at himself, making that one of the film's stronger attributes.

And of course we can't forget that "Cat in the Brain" is a exploitation film and a Fulci one at that. So that means there is going to be a ton of gore and nudity that doesn't make any sense. In fact, there is a Nazi orgy sex scene and you know what? That is only something that Mr. Fulci can make happen and you accept it.

"Cat in the Brain" actually recycles scores from previous Fulci films by having them in "Cat" and recycles clips from previous Fulci films by having them in "Cat" as well. When I read that, before I watched "Cat," I thought that was a bummer. But after watching "Cat," I feel as if that actually worked for the movie.

I also feel that "Cat in the Brain" makes a great party movie. Throw it on when friends are over and laugh at all of the plot holes that are covered up with gore. In closing, I am a strong Fulci fan, so I am going to give it a higher rating than what "Cat in the Brain" is actually worth.

For Fans of Fulci, Gore, and Italian Exploitation Films
7 out of 10.

Trailer for "Cat in the Brain:"

Faceless "If there is but One Life, there are several ways to Die"

Director: Jess Franco

Starring: Helmut Berger & Brigitte Lahaie



I don't know if this review should "count" due to my copy of "Faceless" being so scratched, I had to fast forward until the DVD started to play normally. I actually didn't want to finish watching it, but do to a Chas Balun review on the back of the case, I felt I should finish it (Chas Balun always has some cool cat quote for trashy, gory exploitation films).

So anyways, "Faceless" is about this dude, who is a plastic surgeon, who manages to scar the face of one of his patients for life (eh). The patient decides the best way to get even is to scar her doctor's face with some sort of acid. When the patient goes to do the deed, the surgeon's sister pushes him out of the way, receiving a face full of acid that burns her face. The surgeon promises to find a way to restore his sister's face. He chooses to do so by kidnapping women and cutting their facial skin off and applying it to his sister's face. Since he can't get this method to work, he keeps kidnapping more women and eventually a private detective is hired to locate the missing women.

Now this was my first Jess Franco film and from what I have read, all of Franco's film are always complete trash. So I was expecting a whole lot of nonsense sex and gore, after all, "Faceless" is an exploitation film.

I am afraid was a bit disappointed.

For example, in one scene the surgeon's head goon has captured a woman who was snooping around the surgeon's office, he locks her in a wooden locker. Conveniently, the goon has a power drill nearby and in the next shot we see the drill enter the locker, nearing our victim's face. The next shot is outside the locker and we just see blood run down the door. I don't know what is worse, an off screen kill or a kill that is technically on screen, but we don't see the victim bite it.

In at least four scenes that I can think of, our favorite surgeon turns down meaningless sex because he has "work" to attend to. I mean, don't us younger guys watch horror films for the boobs that come with the genre?

Maybe I am being to harsh on "Faceless," after all, I didn't get to watch it in its entirety.

Your Choice
For Fans of Gore and Italian Exploitation Films
5 out of 10

Trailer for "Faceless:"

"Zombie" We are Going to Eat You!

Director: Lucio Fulci

Starring: Tisa Farrow & Ian McCulloch

The year was 1979 and George A. Romero just released what many believe to be his best film, "Dawn of the Dead." Shortly after the release of "Dawn," popular Italian horror film director, Dario Argento, took Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" and cut out the comedic relief scenes, re-scored it with a bit more darker music, and released it over in Italy as "Zombi." "Zombi" was greeted with huge success.

So in 1980, to cash in on "Zombi's" success, Italian horror film director, Lucio Fulci, released a zombie movie of his own and titled it "Zombi 2."

Having nothing to do with Romero's "Dawn" or Argento's cut "Zombi," Fulci released a zombie movie that proved good enough to stand alone.

In "Zombi 2," Anne Bowles goes looking for her father, on the island of Matool, after her father's boat sails ashore in a New York harbor without him on it (Matool is where the father was last seen). When Anne finally reaches Matool, along with a newsreporter named Peter West and another couple she brought along, they learn that the island has been taken over by flesh-eating zombies due to some voodoo curse.

"Zombi 2" is basically a gorehound's dream. With several memorable goreshots, there is even one in slow-motion. Lucio Fulci is actually known by some as the "Godfather of Gore."

You would think, even in '80, that the zombie genre would be tired. However, that is not the case for Fulci's "Zombi 2." The gore is amazing, the zombie make-up is great (no yellow faces), and the score is superb.

If I had to pick a favorite scene is Fulci's "Zombi 2," it would have to be a scene in which a zombie and a shark wrestle. Yes, you read that right, a zombie and a shark wrestle. You may be sitting there wondering, "Why would a zombie and a shark wrestle?" But wouldn't a better question be, "Who wins between the zombie and shark?"

Fulci's "Zombi 2" has been released several times with different cuts and different titles. However, Fulci's "Zombi 2" can now be picked up uncut on DVD under the plain Jane title "Zombie."

Highly Recommended
For Fans of Zombie, Italian, and Gore Cinema
8 out of 10

Trailer for "Zombie:"

"Cannibal Holocaust" Ripout! Barbeque! Devour! How long can you take it?

Director: Ruggero Deodato

Starring: Robert Kerman



Cannibal Holocaust is one of those films, I think, that you just have to watch to see if it actually lives up to all of it's hype.

Did the director really go to jail upon the film's release?
Were the actors really killed?
Did they really kill real animals?
Is the film really banned in several countries?

To keep the hype level high for those of you that have yet to watch "Cannibal Holocaust," I will tell you that the answer is yes to three of the four questions above.

Cannibal Holocaust is about a documentary crew that heads deep into South America to film a documentary on a cannibalistic tribe. The thing is, the documentary crew never returns. So Professor Harold Monroe of NYU sets out to find them, but only returns with their footage. The majority of the film is the "real" footage of the documentary crew.

Possibly too much for sensitive viewers, Cannibal Holocaust may have you sitting on pins as you witness murder, rape, and cannibalistic rituals.

Upon the completion of my first viewing of Cannibal Holocaust, I felt like I should have been awarded some type of award for making it all the way through it. The second time I watched it, I saw a cut, censored version of it and it did not have that same impact on me like after my first viewing. I decided to watch it a third time and since I own the "Deluxe Edition" of Cannibal Holocaust (from the fine folks over at Grindhouse Releasing), I decided to watch it uncut (the Grindhouse Releasing version gives the option to watch it censored or uncut). I still found it to be brutal, but I guess I wasn't shocked since it was my third time going into "Cannibal Holocaust."

There is probably worse out there, but make up your own mind and watch "Cannibal Holocaust" at least once.

Recommended
For fans of Italian, Cannibal, and Gore Cinema
7 out of 10

Trailer for "Cannibal Holocaust:"