The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)

Original title

Il gatto a nove code

Directed by

Dario Argento

Genre

thriller film, suspense film, LGBTQ-related film, drama film, horror film, slasher film

Country

Germany, France, Italy

Runtime

1h 52m

Rated

16

Rating

6.7 of 10 from 451 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A blind man and a reporter team up to solve a murder linked to a genetic research lab. They follow multiple leads that all seem to connect to the same killer.

mysterioussuspensefulmethodicalnoircerebraltensegloomy

What happens

The Cat o' Nine Tails (Italian: Il gatto a nove code) is a 1971 giallo film directed by Dario Argento, adapted from a story by Argento, Luigi Cozzi, Dardano Sacchetti, and an uncredited Bryan Edgar Wallace. It stars James Franciscus, Karl Malden, and Catherine Spaak. Although it is the middle entry in Argento's so-called "Animal Trilogy" (along with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Four Flies on Grey Velvet), the "cat o' nine tails" does not directly refer to a literal cat, nor to a literal multi-tailed whip; rather, it refers to the number of leads that the protagonists follow in the attempt to solve a murder. The film was a commercial success in Italy but not in the rest of Europe. However, it was acclaimed in the United States. Argento admitted in the book Broken Mirrors, Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento that he was less than pleased with the film, and has repeatedly cited it as his least favorite of all of his films. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)
• Twitch of the Death Nerve (1971)
• Human Cobras (1971)
• The Man with Icy Eyes (1971)
• The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
• Blood and Black Lace (1964)
• The Lion's Share (1971)
• Deep Red (1975)