The Black Cat (1980)

Psychic medium Professor Robert Miles (Patrick Magee) lives a bitter life of solitude with the exception of a black cat, to which he has managed to forge a companionship in lieu of the feline attacking him at every turn. He's paid a visit by a young photographer named Jill Travers (Mimsy Farmer) whom wishes to return a piece of the professor's equipment she has found in an underground tomb. Miles wastes no time in attempting to hypnotize the woman, but is interrupted by the pestering cat as it inflicts deep scratches into the man's hand. Jill responds with a hurried exit, and soon after meets Inspector Gorley (David Warbeck) who employs her as a crime-scene photographer in the investigation of a rash of fatal accidents that have recently befallen the sleepy village. She discovers cat-like scratches on one of the hand of one of the victims, and soon learns that a black cat has been present during all of the incidents. Curiosity leads the photographer back to Miles' estate, where she learns all too agonizingly the history of the old man's estranged relationship with the black cat.

While a less gruesome than usual outing from the "Godfather of Gore," Lucio Fulci's adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale is loose but effective in its own right. The ominous score in conjunction with Sergio Salvati's superb cinematography create a sense of claustrophobic tension, which adds a unique spin on the classic supernatural tale.