IL GATTOA NOVE CODE - Ennio Morricone - "The Cat O' Nine Tails" (1971)

Well, as you are probably well aware, one of the masters of shock and schlock, Paul Naschy, passed away this last Tuesday. Because of the nature of the canine beast, we've featured Paul's work on this site more than once, and he will be sorely missed, so do me a favor, and take a moment to toast Paul, lift your glasses high, cause he was a good guy, Cheers Paul! We'll miss ya'll!!

With titles like "The Werewolf Vs The Vampire Woman,"
"Dracula Vs Frankenstein," "Vengeance Of The Zombies," and so much more, Paul's legacy will never be forgotten!!! I wish we had some more of Paul's work ready to go, but we don't, so we'll just move on!

We're not going to go too far though, just on over to 1971 Italy, and the second film ever produced by another horror icon, Dario Argento, still alive and kickin' with a film in production right now and set to be released in 2010, "Suspiria"!! Tonight's feature is called "Il Gatto A Nove Code" or in English, "The Cat O' Nine Tails"!!! One note of common interest, both Paul and Dario are Virgos, Paul was born on September 6, and Dario was born on September 7!!

Starring immortal American actors Karl Malden, who also just passed away this year in July, and James Franciscus, who died way back in 1991, this movie actually works as a story of murder and intrique in the scientific community!

Like this guy, who gets pushed into the path of an oncoming train, but nobody really cares or notices too much, because they're all there to see this famous starlet, and as we all know, what's more important than that?

Karl Malden is blind puzzle-making retired journalist Franco Arno, and Cinzia De Carolis is Lori, his adopted neice! Seems if you do a search for Cinzia, you'll find that in her much later years she had a penchant for taking nekkid pictures with large reptiles!!

I've always been a sucker for a cool stairwell!!

Catherine Spaak is wealthy debutante Anna Terzi who does a fine job of driving a stick shift and dressing in swank cut-out fashions! She sure seems to have gotten James, as Carlo Giordani's attention!

Five years earlier Catherine graced the cover of LIFE magazine!!!

I've lost my notes, but Carlo goes into a place that I think was called either Dick's Bar or Club, to talk to a certain Dr. Braun about the murders!!

Looking a little disoriented, the only real information that Carlo can get out of Dr. Braun, played by Horst Frank, is that he thinks he has pretty eyes!!!

Rada Rassimov as Bianca Merusi with Jumpin' Jackson Jellyfish Pollock wallpaper!

In the United States we don't get milk delivered to our stoop in cardboard pyramids, so this whole poison setup routine didn't work that well!!

I've yet to see a film go wrong with a shot of multi-coloured beakers!!! You just can't lose!!

It gets pretty gnarly at the end, and you'll be surprised as to who makes it and who doesn't!

Since we've always been more 'rubber monster,' instead of 'slasher/killer type' guys, I wasn't expecting much from this film, but it's actually a pretty good flick worth tracking down, and Karl Malden is excellent!!

The brilliant wild and sometimes chaotic score is provided by the Spaghetti Western Maestro Ennio Morricone!