English Title: Death Smiles on a Murderer

Directed by: Joe D’Amato (as Aristide Massaccesi)

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: A mysterious woman named Greta (Ewa Aulin) loses her memory after a carriage accident and is taken in by a couple named Eva (Angela Bo) and Walter (Sergio Doria) which leads to a series of bizarre murders.

Featured Feline: A nameless Siamese cat (referred to only as Pussycat) lives with Eva and Walter.

The cat is sleeping on a couch behind Walter and Eva as they discuss the recent disappearance of Greta with Inspector Dannick (Attilio Dottesio).

Walter reaches down to pet the cat.

Greta disappeared because Eva, who wanted Greta for herself but realized her husband was also sleeping with her, has bricked her up in a cellar room. After seeing Greta at a party, Eva rushes downstairs and breaks open the brick wall. The Siamese cat (actually a piece of black fur or something) leaps from the opening with a screech in a classic Spring-Loaded Cat moment reminiscent of the Poe tale The Black Cat. The Siamese cat then runs up the stairs.

Later Walter finds Pussycat sitting in a chair and caresses her.

Walter is later startled when the door to his bedroom creaks open. It turns out to be the cat, at least for a moment.

Near the end of the film Greta is confronting her brother Franz (Luciano Rossi), the one responsible for much of what has happened. She throws a bouquet at him which turns into the cat (alternating with the same piece of black fur) which proceeds to rip Franz’ face to shreds.

The killer cat from the climax is even featured on posters for the film, although the gruesome artwork shows a brown cat and not a Siamese.

Final Mewsings: Cats and pieces of black fur can be deadly!

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