Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Cat in the Brain Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 2, 2016

While he doesn’t command the respect his peers receive, director Lucio Fulci has made his mark on horror cinema. The Italian filmmaker has helmed his share of stinkers, but the ones that broke through and found an audience, including 1981’s “The Beyond,” were memorable excursions into screen violence and loopy artistry, while his attention to gory details turned him into a legend with the Rotten Cotton generation, creating some of the vilest imagery the genre could summon. 1990’s “Cat in the Brain” (titled “Nightmare Theater” on the Blu-ray) isn’t one of Fulci’s finest pictures, but it’s certainly his most bizarre. Instead of embarking on a fresh round of chilling events and hysterical characters, Fulci instead recycles prior accomplishments, stitching together old footage from his filmography to beef up a simplistic story of madness colored by exposure to moviemaking. “Cat in the Brain” is a weird picture, not always for the right reasons, but it certainly bears the Fulci brand, surveying all types of carnage and despair, often for no reason at all. It’s a greatest hits package from the helmer, either explained away as a wild experiment or an unusually determined contractual obligation.

In Italy, working on his latest horror extravaganza, director Lucio Fulci (playing himself) is terrorized by visions of murder and cannibalism, finding his every step shadowed by evil thoughts. Turning to Dr. Egon Swharz (David L. Thompson) for help, Fulci enters meditation therapy, hoping to understand why his daily experience orchestrating nightmares has seeped into his private life. Struggling to make sense of the situation, Fulci’s sanity is tested in full, leaving him wary of work and food as he spies unimaginable violence during routine errands, transforming him into a wreck who can’t complete his work, frustrating trusted producer Filippo (Shilett Angel).

The line between real and unreal is intentionally blurred in “Cat in the Brain,” primarily because the picture wants to reuse clips from efforts such as “Touch of Death,” and what better way to do that than to create a movie that doesn’t make any sense at all. The production is all over the place when trying to nail down a narrative, delivering a broad range of panicked looks from Fulci, who keeps stumbling into trouble throughout the feature. There’s no mystery here, with Dr. Egon identified as a serial killer in the first act, watching him slowly advance on his victims, including a roadside prostitute in broad daylight, hacking them to pieces while wearing a demented smile. The cops think Fulci has something to do with the crimes, leaving reality the only question of the film. Is all this bloodshed part of a new picture, or is Fulci going mad after decades of exposure to some of the most violent imagery around? It’s difficult to tell if “Cat in the Brain” is truly after viewer interpretation here, as so much of the endeavor is random.

Gore is a priority, establishing an uneasy connection between food and sliced flesh, making popcorn consumption during a viewing unadvisable. Sampling Fulci’s possible insanity, “Cat in the Brain” delivers blood and guts, cannibalism, vivisection, and animal horrors, and there’s a strong sadomasochistic presence in the effort, showcasing the natural combination of rough sex and Nazism. Fulci keeps the feature trashy, spotlighting nudity and sex with loving detail, and there’s enough unexplained events to blur concentration on the production’s limitations, finding a few violent outbursts merely hinted at. It’s wildly silly stuff at times, but there’s a darkness to “Cat in the Brain” that’s convincing, even when pieces of this puzzle are never meant to join together. And realism certainly isn’t in play, as the story explores Fulci’s demand for make-up authenticity, which has never been his strong suit. He’s playing a heightened version of himself in “Cat in the Brain,” and he’s fun to watch. Fulci isn’t a professional performer, but he knows what he wants from himself, while some mild satire emerges with industry-centric sequences, showcasing his obsessions with the genre.

Cat in the Brain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dealing with what looks like less than ideal source issues, the AVC encoded image (1.65:1 aspect ratio) presentation is unavoidably soft, keeping detail subdued. It's not a sharp viewing experience, lacking robust texture, but this is likely the best the movie has ever looked on home video, while the feature's collection of clips from different productions is evident throughout. Grindhouse appears to be doing what they can here, finding colors nicely refreshed, retaining original consistency, with expected highlights being bloody reds and primaries emerging from costuming. Delineation goes as far as 16mm cinematography allows. Grain fluctuates, looking quite heavy at times. Damage isn't a concern, but reel changes and speckling are detected.

Cat in the Brain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't come through with any type of furious activity, but it handles the essentials of the track securely. A dubbed picture, dialogue exchanges are thick and easy to follow, and emotional extremes are comfortable, never hitting crispy highs. Scoring is never going to be precise, but the musical mood is set without distortion. Sound effects are amplified to encourage chills, finding all the slicing and chopping in its appropriate place. Hiss and pops are minimal.

Cat in the Brain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• CD Soundtrack contains 16 tracks.

• Booklet (18 pages) contains essays written by Antonella Fulci, Eli Roth, David J. Schow, and Martin Beine.

• "Have a Nice Vacation, Doctor Fulci!" (27:13, HD) is a conversation with co-writer Antonio Tentaori, who discusses his love for Fulci (and Dario Argento), his relationship with the director, and the genesis of "Cat in the Brain," emphasizing the difficulty of matching old footage to new.

• "A Nightmare in the Brain" (27:55, HD) chats up cinematographer Sandro Grossi, who shares his early influences ("Barry Lyndon" fueled his dreams), his impression of Fulci's genius, and shares some anecdotes from the shoot. Also included are snippets from a Fulci interview.

• "Frizzi & Fulci" (30:31, HD) explores the sound of Fulci's filmography with composer Fabio Frizzi. He recounts his industry introduction, his early musical efforts, and his time on "Cat in the Brain."

• "Fabio Frizzi: Live in Hollywood" (7:35, HD) highlights a few selections from a stop on his 2015 concert tour.

• "Painter of Nightmares" (17:53, HD) catches up with brilliant movie poster artist Enzo Sciotti, who discusses his introduction to the industry, his professional relationships, and his creative point of view when designing images.

• "Antonio Tentori Interviews Lucio Fulci" (16:25, HD) is a 1987 radio appearance from the director.

• "Lucio Fulci" is a biographical journey created in 1995 featuring an extended interview with the director, divided into "The Television Years" (40:53, SD) and "Genre Terrorist" (40:18, SD).

• "Brett Halsey: Living La Dolce Vita" (46:03, SD) is a 2005 interview with the actor, who chats up career highlights, but some attention is paid to "Cat in the Brain," which recycled footage featuring Halsey, but the production never paid him, souring his relationship with Fulci.

• "Memories of Lucio" presents conversations with Jeoffrey Kennedy (1:00, SD), Sacha Maria Darwin (2:09, SD), and Malisa Longo (1:51, SD).

• Still Gallery/Weekend of Horrors (23:31, SD) blends promotional and home video images with a convention panel featuring Fulci, from 1996.

• Bios for Lucio Fulci and Brett Halsey are offered.

• And an Italian Trailer (1:48, HD) and English Trailer (1:59, HD) are included.

Cat in the Brain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are moments of obsession and insanity where "Cat in the Brain" resembles a lost DePalma production, and there are times when the movie looks like it was assembled over a long weekend, padding like crazy to reach feature-length standards. It's entertaining, especially for Fulci fanatics, but it takes a relaxed mind to embrace it. More of a career overview than an original endeavor, "Cat in the Brain" takes some time to get used to, but eventually its oddity and incompleteness begins to make its own kind of sense. Ones goes to a Fulci film for the excess anyway, and this effort is all kinds of icky and sleazy.