: Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eyes
: La morte negli occhi del gatto
: 1973
: Riz Ortolani
: IMDB
: 76
Recommedation: Entertaining
Nothing ground breaking here, but a fun time nonetheless.
Nothing ground breaking here, but a fun time nonetheless.
WARNING: Spoilers Below
score analysis
Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye is a textbook example of a Worthwhile Deviation. Antonio Margheriti's second Giallo (if you count his proto-Giallo, Naked, You Die as his first) answers the question, "Can you make an effective Giallo in a haunted house?" with a resounding "Yes!"
Featuring a visual palette inspired by Mario Bava and an eerie soundtrack by genre favorite Riz Ortolani, Seven Deaths is a proper Gothic horror film, but with a twist; There's a murderer on the loose and everyone (even the orangutan who looks like a gorilla) is a suspect!
Looking at the score, all the staples and signatures are represented. And the film only lost 7 points for its rural, non-Italian location. But those 7 points go completely unnoticed once you get lost in the atmostphere of the Scottish castle which helps to move the rather uneventful middle section of the film along.
All in all Margheriti seems to have created the perfect hybrid between horror and Giallo with the a film that scores highest within the Worthwhile Deviation category. More importantly he managed to do this AND feature an actor in a monkey suit. Bravo Antonio!
score breakdown
Staples : 50/60
Italian Director
10 points
Hidden Identity
10 points
Black Gloves
5 points
Ameteur Detective
5 points
Classic Period (1970 - 1975)
5 points
Motivation: Blackmail/Gain
5 points
Director > 1
5 points
Standards : 19/30
Body Count >= 3
4 points
Italian Location
3 points
Mistaken Identity
2 points
Morricone/Nicolai/Ortolani
3 points
Nude Scene >= 1
3 points
Suspects >= 3
4 points
Signatures : 7/10
Animal, Number or "Death" in title
1 points
Attend Funeral
1 points
Gay/Lesbian
1 points
Odd Clue
1 points
Priest
1 points
Prove Innocence
1 points
Spiral Stairs
1 points
Total Points : 76/100