Another solid gothic giallo inspired by Poe’s The Black Cat. This is my third giallo I've seen from Sergio Martino and honestly, it's probably my least favorite so far. The first half of this film is so boring, like it feels painfully sleazy for the sake of being that way. Thankfully, it totally redeems itself by the second half. It switches gears about halfway through which makes it a surprisingly enjoyable experience. Overall, this is not Martino's best, but still an entertaining way to spend 96 minutes.
The best Sergio Martino movie I've seen so far. Becomes a little uninteresting, but the ending is good. Good cast of actors.
Review by BronsonBlockedParent2023-01-23T06:22:06Z
So, YViaLR&OIHtK - winner of most annoying movie title - is based on a story by Edgar Allen Poe, but it doesn't matter. The movie is a mess. It's terribly written, full of horribly-unlikeable characters, and held together by loose plot threads.
The movie begins with a title sequence that may have inspired Basic Instinct. I knew this was going to be a long ride when only a few minutes in, the movie turns into a musical. Does this matter at all? Nope, this is a giallo, after all. An odd misdirect here is that we are watching a proto-slasher, but that turns out to be nothing. I can see how the writer was trying to be ambitious, but it simply does not work. The acting is okay, for the most part, aside from a moment where Ermelinda De Felice lets out a scream that is so overacted as to be comical.
Were there any good parts here? Fenech boob, and a big fluffy cat named Satan.
Post script: our cute kitty, Satan, is mistreated in two scenes: he is hit with a broom, and treated very roughly by hand. I'm just glad he wasn't actually stabbed in the eye. Poor kitty. Seriously, the Italians and animal abuse, what was the deal?