Gothic giallo from the late Antonio Margheriti(Castle of Blood) with the novelty of a cat always present at the scene of murders, by a leather gloved killer using a razor, which occur in and around the castle estate of the family MacGrieff.
The actual proprietor of the castle, James(Hiram Keller), is deemed mad by his family doctor, Franz(Anton Diffring)and held responsible for the murder of his sister as a child. James' mother Mary(Françoise Christophe)faces a difficult financial crisis which may leave them without their ancestral home. Trying to persuade monetary backing from her sister Alicia(Dana Ghia), Mary promises Franz, who are secretly lovers, that she will keep the castle, one way or another. Alicia's daughter, Corringa(Jane Birkin), arriving unannounced after being expelled from Catholic school, will soon face a horrifying ordeal..her mother is suffocated by someone, leaving Corringa on her own to possibly face the killer whoever it may be. Could it be Mary, willing to do whatever it takes to keep the castle? Could it be James, who has such a harsh attitude towards nearly everyone(..and with a record, whether it be real or a set-up)and is considered emotionally hostile? Is it the hired french teacher, Suzanne(the delicious Doris Kunstmann who run rings around Birkin in a very sexy, albeit slutty, turn as whore hired by Franz to seduce James)who might have a concocted plan with Franz at getting their hands on Mary's estate if everyone is killed off? Is it secretly Franz, who is bedding two women under the same castle roof? As each possible suspect is eliminated we'll know soon enough. Venantino Venantini has a limited but crucial role as a trusted priest, Father Robertson.
Keeping the spirit of Mario Bava alive, Margheriti uses the environment of his castle, grounds, family cemetery & crypt, really well. He tries, through some enthusiastic camera movements, to make up for a deranged screenplay. There's a lot of naughty activity taking place within the film's castle. Margheriti sure grabs you right away opening the film with a wail from this unfortunate soul, after having his neck slit, placed in a trunk, tossed down the spiraling steps into a creepy cellar, with his corpse exploding forth with rats having a grand time using his body as lunch..we see the poor guy's torn face, ripped apart and exposing the skull underneath. As always, the giallo trademark of the deck being stacked against a specific character(Lord James, who is easily recognized as a red herring, once Corringa gets involved with him, opening an incestuous love affair between kissin' cousins)is here as is the convoluted plot yielding countless twists peppered with a corrupt group of characters offering much in the way of seedy melodrama. The violence is mostly blood spray across walls after a victim is sliced off-camera. Nudity is limited to Kunstmann showing her breasts. Unusually Birkin, as the innocent, naive and jaded protagonist, doesn't get out of her clothes, although there's one juicy implied lesbian crush as Suzanne lustfully sets her eyes on Corringa as she removes her stockings. Also thrown in is James' pet gorilla(!), the proposed idea that the relatives of MacGrieff return from the dead as vampires if murdered by their own kin, and the reveal of the killer(..which seemed pulled right out of the screenwriter's ass at the last possible moment)showing that this particular film falls right in line with the giallo genre of Italian cinema which populated the screens of the 70's.
The actual proprietor of the castle, James(Hiram Keller), is deemed mad by his family doctor, Franz(Anton Diffring)and held responsible for the murder of his sister as a child. James' mother Mary(Françoise Christophe)faces a difficult financial crisis which may leave them without their ancestral home. Trying to persuade monetary backing from her sister Alicia(Dana Ghia), Mary promises Franz, who are secretly lovers, that she will keep the castle, one way or another. Alicia's daughter, Corringa(Jane Birkin), arriving unannounced after being expelled from Catholic school, will soon face a horrifying ordeal..her mother is suffocated by someone, leaving Corringa on her own to possibly face the killer whoever it may be. Could it be Mary, willing to do whatever it takes to keep the castle? Could it be James, who has such a harsh attitude towards nearly everyone(..and with a record, whether it be real or a set-up)and is considered emotionally hostile? Is it the hired french teacher, Suzanne(the delicious Doris Kunstmann who run rings around Birkin in a very sexy, albeit slutty, turn as whore hired by Franz to seduce James)who might have a concocted plan with Franz at getting their hands on Mary's estate if everyone is killed off? Is it secretly Franz, who is bedding two women under the same castle roof? As each possible suspect is eliminated we'll know soon enough. Venantino Venantini has a limited but crucial role as a trusted priest, Father Robertson.
Keeping the spirit of Mario Bava alive, Margheriti uses the environment of his castle, grounds, family cemetery & crypt, really well. He tries, through some enthusiastic camera movements, to make up for a deranged screenplay. There's a lot of naughty activity taking place within the film's castle. Margheriti sure grabs you right away opening the film with a wail from this unfortunate soul, after having his neck slit, placed in a trunk, tossed down the spiraling steps into a creepy cellar, with his corpse exploding forth with rats having a grand time using his body as lunch..we see the poor guy's torn face, ripped apart and exposing the skull underneath. As always, the giallo trademark of the deck being stacked against a specific character(Lord James, who is easily recognized as a red herring, once Corringa gets involved with him, opening an incestuous love affair between kissin' cousins)is here as is the convoluted plot yielding countless twists peppered with a corrupt group of characters offering much in the way of seedy melodrama. The violence is mostly blood spray across walls after a victim is sliced off-camera. Nudity is limited to Kunstmann showing her breasts. Unusually Birkin, as the innocent, naive and jaded protagonist, doesn't get out of her clothes, although there's one juicy implied lesbian crush as Suzanne lustfully sets her eyes on Corringa as she removes her stockings. Also thrown in is James' pet gorilla(!), the proposed idea that the relatives of MacGrieff return from the dead as vampires if murdered by their own kin, and the reveal of the killer(..which seemed pulled right out of the screenwriter's ass at the last possible moment)showing that this particular film falls right in line with the giallo genre of Italian cinema which populated the screens of the 70's.