La Morte Negli Occhi Del Gatto (aka Seven Deaths In the Cat's Eye) (1973)

When a young girl (Jane Birkin, EVIL UNDER THE SUN) returns home to the family castle in Scotland, suddenly a series of grisly murders occur. Antonio Margheriti (CASTLE OF BLOOD) directed this mixture of Gothic horror and giallo slasher. Adapted from the novel by Peter Bryan, the film has a dream like quality which is good since nothing makes much sense. After finding her mother's (Dana Ghia) coffin opened and the body gone, what does Birkin's "sensitive" character do moments later? Get it on in bed with her cousin (Hiram Keller, FELLINI SATYRICON)! The titular cat of the title is a rather passive creature, quite cuddly in fact, observing the killings and skulking around the castle. The movie actually feels more like a lesser Hammer horror or even a faux Corman Poe adaptation than an Italian giallo. It's just not stylish enough or outrageous enough like the best giallos and the film's red herrings (like the gorilla) just don't work. The ineffective underscore is by Riz Ortolani. With Anton Diffring, Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Cristophe.