The classic Edgar Allan Poe tale gets transplanted to mid-1960s Texas in this spirited midnight movie about a would-be writer named Lou (Robert Frost, in his only film role). One year, Lou receives a present from his wife Diana (Robyn Baker): a black cat whom he names Pluto. Lou, for no apparent reason, becomes a VERY hard-drinking lout who takes his wife for granted, and dotes on Pluto, while also being ignorant towards the rest of his menagerie of pets (including a toucan and a raccoon). In a drunken rage, he mutilates the cat; then, during another drunken stupor, murders the poor thing, in the process burning his house down! Of course, the feline hasn't used up all of its nine lives yet...
Anybody familiar with the Poe yarn, or at least the feature films inspired by it, will find that this version holds no surprises. But it's reasonably amusing, with hilariously florid acting by Frost at times. It contains some decent atmosphere as it depicts his descent into madness, as he becomes convinced that the cat is some sort of demon sent by Satan to torment him. Baker and he were obviously hired for their looks, but she does a decent job as well, creating a likeable character worthy of some sympathy. The cast also includes a couple of faces familiar to fans of Texas-shot movies: Bill Thurman ("The Last Picture Show") as a bartender, George Edgley ("Common Law Wife"), Jeff Alexander ("Horror High"), and Annabelle Weenick ("Don't Look in the Basement").
The stock horror music used here suits the melodramatic nature of the material, and the picture wraps up in a fairly trim 73 minutes. But that doesn't mean that the film is free from filler: there are a few ditties (such as "Sinner Man") belted out by a guy named Scotty McKay and his band during the bar scenes. What will please viewers with more modern sensibilities is the level of violence, as there is one brutal axe murder that takes place. And the ending, while abrupt, is most amusing, and leaves cult horror fans with smiles on their faces.
This is no "lost gem", but is still worth a look for horror fans who seek out more obscure offerings.
Six out of 10.
