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Marco Di Stefano, Robert Egon, Brett Halsey, Peter Paul Muller, Maurice Poli ... see more see more... , Lucio Fulci , Malisa Longo , David L. Thompson , Jeoffrey Kennedy

In this Italian splatter film, director Lucio Fulci plays a horror filmmaker who goes to a psychiatrist because the types of films he makes are starting to disturb him, he suspects that his German pro... read more read more...ducers are Nazis, and he believes he may be a killer himself. Much of the movie consists of clips from Fulci's previous films. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi

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51% liked it

702 ratings

R, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Lucio Fulci

Release Date: August 8, 1990

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DVD Release Date: March 31, 2009

Stats: 110 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (110)


  • April 14, 2011
    Lucio Fulci's Cat in the Brain is an inventive and somewhat egotistical tale of a director's decent into madness. The director in question is Fulci himself, who stars in the film. Fulci has become known to horror fans everywhere as 'the godfather of gore', and for good reason, as... read more he has provided us with some of the nastiest and most gruesome films ever to grace the silver screen; from the eyeball violence in films like 'Zombi 2', to a man been hacked to death with chains in 'The Beyond', all the way to the full on gore fest known as 'The New York Ripper'; if you want gore (and let's face it, who doesn't), Fulci is your man. However, all this catering for gorehounds like you and I has taken its toll on Fulci's mental state, and he's quickly delving into madness, brought about by what he films. Fulci's problems don't end at his mental state either, as his psychiatrist that he has gone to see about his problem has took it upon himself to take up murder as a hobby, using Fulci's films as blueprints for the murders!

    I've got to say, the acting in this film is absolutely atrocious. There is one scene in particular that involves a hooker, and it's only fit to be laughed at, for both it's acting and it's stupidity. Fulci takes the lead role of the film (obviously). He's not an actor, and it shows, but his performance is actually the best in the film. It's even safe to say that one the whole, the acting is bad for an Italian horror film. Of course, nobody goes into an Italian horror expecting good acting, so it's somewhat forgivable, but I do think that Fulci could have hired some better ones. Bad dubbing doesn't exactly help either. However, something that does help is the fact that the terrible acting is counterbalanced by lots of gore, and it's extreme to say the least! People get their heads cut off, a woman is slain in the shower (and unlike Psycho, here we REALLY see it), people are hacked up, fed to pigs and there's lots and lots of cinema's finest melee weapon - the chainsaw on display, which delighted me no end. The amount of gore is massively over the top a lot of the time, which gives the film something of a 'spoof' feel, but Cat in the Brain is obviously a tongue in cheek film anyway.

    It would be hard to make a film about yourself and not come across as being a bit of a big head, and Fulci does indeed come across as a bit of a big head in this movie. His name is mentioned often, and he's on screen nearly all the time; it's not too much unlike 'New Nightmare' in the ego stakes, but it's obvious he had a good time making this, and I for one had fun watching it, so we can forgive him a little egotism. The film's ending lets it down - I saw it coming a mile off, but then didn't seriously think that the movie would take that route, but I was wrong; it did, unfortunately. The ending left me cold, and the film is a better watch if you turn it off just before the final two minutes. However, despite it's ending and terrible acting, Cat in the Brain is a lot of fun and will please Fulci enthusiasts no end, and it is therefore recommended.
  • January 9, 2011
    Delve into the mind of Lucio Fulci in this humourous self parody of the "father of gore" himself. It plays out like a giallo but this is not a film to be taken too seriously - this is all a bit of satire from from the director poking fun at his critics and his own career. It's th... read moree goriest Fulci film I've ever seen with a whole plathora of brutally gory killings from chainsaw dismemberments, knife stabbings, beheadings, a disembowlment etc. Fulci fans will love it!
  • June 29, 2009
    There's tons of juicy disgusting gore packed into this movie; gore-hounds should applaud. However, the story is lame and incomprehensible, making it hard to sit through. Some scenes were laughable. I admired how Fulci intercut new footage with scenes from other movies -- and am g... read morelad I haven't seen those other films, or the continuity would've been ruined. I wish the gnawing cat had burst out of Fulci's head in the final scene, rather than the lame Hollywood ending they chose.
  • May 3, 2009
    Tongue in cheek, black comedy gorefest starring Fulci as himself plagued by hallucinations from some of his worst films (ie Sodoma's Ghost).
    Fulci's last good & splattery film before he passed away in 1996.
  • April 6, 2009
    If you can't tell from the synopsis this is a really strange movie to watch. The plot of the movie is actually pretty thin and only serves as an excuse for the gore and mayhem that ensues, but the movie does such a good job keeping interesting scenes and kills on screen that I r... read moreeally didn't have a problem with this. Really once the basic idea of the plot is out of the way it's one kill after another. I found it entertaining, so I'm not complaining.

    As long as you understand what you're getting yourself into here, you should be OK. Cat In The Brain is nothing more than a guilty pleasure to the highest degree. Many people will be turned off by the non-linear, non-sensical scenes and misogynist gore, but it's an interesting film, nonetheless.
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  • October 4, 2011
    7.0/10

    Lucio Fulci; now there's a name you may know. He's often cited as a master of horror; an outstanding genre director who preferred making gore flicks to anything else, but occasionally, he would make something different. If I had to name three of his most famous fea... read moretures, I'd definitely list "Zombie", "City of the Living Dead", and "The Beyond". Everything else I pretty much disliked due to the fact that Fulci is really only somewhat good when he's putting surrealism beside the gore effects. He didn't do this often enough. This is why I don't necessarily love him; but each of his films was what it was; and if it was shit, then so be it.

    Say you like Fulci, and admire his work even more than I do (on occasion). If you find yourself drooling at each of his most gruesome creations, then his "A Cat in the Brain" will have you foaming from the mouth. It's a love letter to the filmmaker's fans; made by the filmmaker himself. It might have been one of his last and only good films. I liked it because, if you can put the graphic violence and content aside, it can be seen as a dark satire that mimics the likes of "8 1/2". I was able to enjoy it for the most part; the violence is indeed intense, but I expected as much out of Fulci. What he didn't do was amaze me; what he did do was surprise me, and disgust me, but only a little. There's something oddly admirable about that.

    Not only did Fulci direct the film, but he also managed to squeeze himself in as the film's central character. I don't want to call him a hero; because, what's a hero when the person wields an axe and makes horror films as gruesome as Fulci does? Fulci plays himself; a filmmaker who is beginning to doubt both his ability and his sanity. This questioning begins when Fulci finds himself creating an alternate ego of some sorts to kill people at will. This happens commonly with the psychopaths of cinema, but is Fulci really as crazy as he seems? We'll just have to wait and see.

    Made up mostly of images and scenes from his earlier films, "A Cat in the Brain" is for most of its run-time a showcase of Fulci and his new alter-ego brutally slashing their way through prostitutes and demeaning gardeners alike. It's entertaining, if not almost distractingly grotesque, for the most part; and it never stops fascinating me to some degree. I was able to openly accept the satirical tones and enjoy what Fulci had prepared for his audience. You may not find yourself watching a genre masterpiece, but I mentioned "8 1/2", and when that film is paired with a review for a horror film, you know it's at least worth a look.

    But will the Fulci die-hards enjoy it? Absolutely. I imagine that they will have a good time reconnecting with the images that they've already seen from past Fulci efforts; and non-Fulci-enthusiasts (such as myself) might have the ability to look into the film a bit, and see something well worth the endurance that it may require. This is some shocking, brutal stuff, people. You may not have the stomach for the material, and you may not want to sit through it, but for those who are tolerant of this kind of stuff; "A Cat in the Brain" is a nice, unpleasant, uneasy, but unexpectedly intelligent treat. It's an exploitation picture with heart and even brains; as it studies the psychology of a filmmaker who single-handedly created some of the most repulsive and disgusting imagery for his time. I say this; if you kind of like Fulci (and at times, I do), then you'll have a good time watching this film. I say it's a lot of fun, albeit somewhat tasteless fun. If you hate Fulci, well, then you might just hate this too. It's a film that WANTS you to be open-minded when you go into it. Hopefully you will take my word for it, see it, and develop your own opinion. All I know is that it is what it is; and it inhabits a world where it can be accepted as something of quality. It has a fantastical and almost surrealistic nature to it; and I took a liking to it, the more I thought. I love movies like that.
  • December 13, 2010
    Not Lucio Fulci's best but this one really sticks out from the rest of his filmography. A Post Modernist horror, starring Fulci as himself. After year's of killing people in movies in the most gruesome of ways Fulci starts to lose his grip on reality, and is haunted by hallucinat... read moreions of gruesome dismemberments, savage slayings and at least one nazi orgy! Plenty of laughs, boobies and bloodshed to go around, so there really isn't much not to like here. The gore is typically fantastic, as Fulcis films always have some of the best analog gore horror fans have ever had the privelage to see. I still consider the Beyond to be Fulcis masterpiece though. Definently worth watching for all Fulci fans.
  • July 10, 2010
    When a horror film director is being stalked by a serial killer bend on killing people based on his movies things can only get very gruesome and bloody very fast considering the filmmaker is Lucio Fulci they can even get alittle strange too thats more or less the plot for what th... read moreere is of this movie its more or less a excuse to bring alot of gore to the screen. Being a Fulci fan i really liked this movie but im pretty sure its not gonna be for all tastes so i cant recommend it to everyone gorehounds will enjoy it though.
  • January 20, 2008
    Lucio Fulci's New Nightmare. Years before Wes Craven wrote himself into a film as the director who is so awesome his work becomes real, Fulci wrote himself as a sleazy, psychotic mess. With clips from his lesser known films and an outrageous performance from Fulci himself I'm a... read morelways floored when Fulci fans say they hate this one.
  • September 29, 2011
    Finally gave this one a look at long last. This was a fun watch, as if Fulci was having a ball poking fun at his own fandom and their desire to see the worst things onscreen. He plays a variation on himself who becomes plagued by a killer who is mimicking the killings from his ... read morefilms.

    Featuring some nice gore, this one is definitely worth a peek if you are a horror fan.

    Give it a rental.

Critic Reviews


Scott Weinberg
September 21, 2009
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet

More of a worthwhile curiosity than anything resembling one of Fulci's best films. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
August 26, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Fulci's splatter meta-comedy is founded equally on sardonic censor-baiting and the true confessions of a conflicted auteur Full Review

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