Peter Cushing stars in this horror anthology tale composed of the three 'frightening' tales. The link between the stories is the cat, and the film asks the question, "Are our feline friends really so cute?". The answer is a resounding NO!, at least not here they aren't. Cushing is a writer to wants to sell his novel, but his publisher, Ray Milland (looking very old and tired here), isn't so sure. Firstly I have to say that if you're expecting any horror then you're going to be disappointed. Even after all the effort, cats just aren't scary, and this film isn't helped by some frankly awful special effects work which just makes things look ludicrous instead of scary. Peter Cushing is as good a reason to watch as any, but his screen time is rather limited and - horror of horrors! - he doesn't even get to star in any of the stories.
The best story would probably be the first one, which comes closest to offering up a few chills here and there. One moment, where the cats are eating the old woman's corpse, is effective and startling. The second story is worth watching as it features hilariously bad back-projection effects, as well as a truly obnoxious girl who gets her just desserts. Donald Pleasence hams it up in the third tale, which has probably the weakest story of the bunch.
THE UNCANNY is a mildly fun film, worth watching if you're not expecting too much, and if you like the work of some respected actors. With the actors on display, the film really deserves to be better than it is. The cats themselves are not particularly menacing - witness the cat supposedly chewing through rope, when in fact it's plainly licking some kind of fish paste off it instead. Cushing is believable, as always, as the frightened victim (although I prefer to watch him in his younger roles). Donald Pleasence appears just before he became famous for a whole new generation in the same year's HALLOWEEN. THE UNCANNY is an okay anthology film, but the ones churned out in the early '70s by Amicus were a lot better. As for Cushing's fate...you'll have to watch the film and see what happens to him, won't you!
The best story would probably be the first one, which comes closest to offering up a few chills here and there. One moment, where the cats are eating the old woman's corpse, is effective and startling. The second story is worth watching as it features hilariously bad back-projection effects, as well as a truly obnoxious girl who gets her just desserts. Donald Pleasence hams it up in the third tale, which has probably the weakest story of the bunch.
THE UNCANNY is a mildly fun film, worth watching if you're not expecting too much, and if you like the work of some respected actors. With the actors on display, the film really deserves to be better than it is. The cats themselves are not particularly menacing - witness the cat supposedly chewing through rope, when in fact it's plainly licking some kind of fish paste off it instead. Cushing is believable, as always, as the frightened victim (although I prefer to watch him in his younger roles). Donald Pleasence appears just before he became famous for a whole new generation in the same year's HALLOWEEN. THE UNCANNY is an okay anthology film, but the ones churned out in the early '70s by Amicus were a lot better. As for Cushing's fate...you'll have to watch the film and see what happens to him, won't you!