Product Description

"Perversity," wrote Edgar Allan Poe, is "the human thirst for self torture." Jeffrey Combs of RE-ANIMATOR fame delivers an electrifying performance as the legendary writer driven to debt and drunken folly by a world cruelly indifferent to his poetry. But is it his beloved wife's agonizing death by consumption or her deranged pet feline that will soon trigger the scribe's most ghastly acts of madness? Director Stuart Gordon and longtime collaborator Dennis Paoli (RE- ANIMATOR, DAGON, CASTLE FREAK) co-wrote this grisly exploration of horror fiction's dark genius, condemned to a living hell of illusion, insanity and beyond by THE BLACK CAT.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37409 in DVD
• Brand: STARZ/SPHE
• Released on: 2007-07-17
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 58 minutes

Customer Reviews

Descending Into Madness--The "Horror"-ible Life Of Edgar Allen Poe
As a huge "Re-Animator" fan, I really looked forward to Stuart Gordon's contribution to Showtime's "Masters of Horror" anthology series. Season One brought us "H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House"--which sadly was not one of my favorites. Season Two's offering is "The Black Cat." But while I enjoyed this episode much better, I still don't know how warmly it will be embraced by those seeking out this series. Not a conventional horror story, "The Black Cat" is a historical (but fictional) account of the life of Edgar Allen Poe. The tale documents a descent into madness and its horror is derived from this--whether or not that seems entertaining may be a matter of opinion.

The episode features Jeffrey Combs (always a delight) as Poe. Struggling and impoverished, he lives in a dark and unpleasant dwelling with his ill wife. Attempting to sell his poetry to survive, he is also sinking into desperation, alcoholism and insanity. There really isn't much more plot than that--this is a story that is reliant on mood rather than narrative. Combs does well with the various aspects of Poe's dementia and there is plenty of macabre humor interspersed. Haunted by visions of his wife and menaced by household pets, there are moments of real gruesomeness and gore to be appreciated.

I enjoyed the film's literary references and setup as a fan of Poe, but some may find the beginning a bit slow. The tale takes a while to develop--but that never bothered me. The ending does maintain a frantic pace and has some great effects, but if you're a lover of animals--you might want to steer clear. Combs is a uniquely engaging actor and this is a must-see for his fans. Otherwise, I'll issue a cautious recommendation. About 3 1/2 stars for me, and that's about my average for most episodes of "Masters of Horror." KGHarris, 05/07.

Eye-Opening Adaptation
The Black Cat, directed by Stuart Gordon and written by Dennis Paoli & Stuart Gordon, features the great Edgar Allen Poe (Jeffrey Combs), out of literary inspiration and short on cash, tormented by an inky feline who will either destroy his sanity or spur him to write one of his greatest horror stories ever.

It's nice to see Stuart Gordon's take on something other than H.P. Lovecraft (I haven't seen Edmund yet). I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by his take on The Black Cat and it might just be my favorite of his work to date aside from the first Re-Animator film.

Gordon does an amazing job of turning the emotional but bloodless work of Poe and turning it into a grand guignol good time, and while he may not look the part as much as, say, Christina Ricci, Combs makes for a highly believable Poe.

Everything from the bit parts, to the set decoration, to the animal actors is top-notch in The Black Cat. Don't miss this one... it's (sorry) the cat's meow!

Staci Layne Wilson

Pluto Revisited
When Stuart Gordon and Jeffrey Combs come together, they normally make beautiful landscapes that remind me more of cinematic tides touching portrayal-laden sands than of two people trying to push together frames. Perhaps that's because of the great deal of things they've done together; they've done a great deal of work in the realms of H.P. Lovecraft and Gordon has also put in time in the realm of Poe, and this revitalization of The Black Cat is yet another appealing picture painted by the Gordon quill. I liked it, too, enough so that I forgave the Masters of Horror series for a lot of the lackluster subsets it had done in this latest series. In a sense this is what I wanted when I saw Gordon was up to bat anyhow; I've always imagined Gordon and Combs as a tandem that were quite knowledgeable of the inner workings of the classics and I knew whatever they did would be amazing.
And Gordon and Combs coming together with something that has been done more than once - I enjoyed the fact that they could connect all the dots and to connect them well.

Much of what comes from the director also echoes in the performance of his case, and nobody seems to work better with Gordon than combs. Much like Combs had done when he played the role of Lovecraft in Necronomicon, he took on the tormented form of Poe and made his pain believable. One of the marks of a great horror actor is to become a sensation like that of pain and to somehow sell it along with the movements and the backgrounds and the terrible stuff of legends and Combs does that beautifully. Equally impressive is Elyse Levesque in her portrayal of EAP's dying bride, and the cat - well, the cat was not exactly what I'd call a household dream.

If you are a fan of the Masters of Horror, a fan of Stuart Gordon or Jeffrey Combs, or if you haven't seen the story of Edgar Allan Poe come to life before and would like a pseudo-tour of his troubles then this is a great buy. It has a small punchline in the price department and has a nice kick that is nasty by nature, and it is just plain good.
Not too campy, not too serious - it is what Masters of Horror set out to be.