Stuart Gordon is one of the directors who truly deserve to be called "Masters of Horror", and his second contribution to the "Masters of Horror" series is another proof for that. The director of "Re-Animator", who is best known for adapting the great H. P. Lovecraft's work in an awesome manner, decided to get into another deity of macabre literature, the all-mighty Edgar Allan Poe, for this eleventh episode of the second season, which bears the famous name of its literary model - "The Black Cat". This is, after his 1991 version of "The Pit And The Pendulum" only Gordon's second Poe-themed creation. The most brilliant Poe-adaptations are (and always will be) Roger Corman's films starring the immortal Vincent Price, and the greatest adaptation of "The Black Cat" in particular is arguably Sergio Martino's Giallo-masterpiece "Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key" (1972). This is not to say that great Poe-adaptations can't still be made, and Stuart Gordon does so in a very original manner. Gordon makes the alcoholic and struggling Poe himself the protagonist of this episode, and the man is played by none other than Gordon's regular leading man, Jeffrey 'Dr. Herbert West' Combs. In Philadelphia of 1840, Edgar Allan Poe, is struggling with alcoholism, the lack of money and the illness of his wife. Eager to write poetry, but only popular for his macabre short stories, Poe is also struggling with nightmares and upcoming insanity... "The Black Cat" is doubtlessly one of the most atmospheric entries to the series. The episode is very dark and more complex than your usual MoH episode, and the performances are excellent. Especially the great Jeffrey Combs is once again brilliant in his role, I couldn't imagine anyone to fit better in the role of Poe. "The Black Cat" is another proof of how great a director Stuart Gordon is and an absolute must-see for fans of the "Masters Of Horror" series.
Review of The Black Cat
