From the Death Star to the Devil Beast: In 1977, Peter Cushing not only trudged through “Star Wars” as the villainous Grand Moff Tarkin, but also proved himself a confused writer. Because in the same year, the horror movie “The Uncanny” celebrated its world premiere, giving Cushing the opportunity to rant about chicks who were as confused as he was convinced. The cult film is about the theory that cats are not only bad luck bringers, but also fuzzy henchmen of the devil.
That’s an assumption that buzzes through the minds of people who hate cats, as well as those who love purring sleepyheads. So it doesn’t matter if you accuse cats with contempt or admiration of a love of chaos: you will feel understood by this cult film – and now also in HD: “The Uncanny” recently celebrated its highly anticipated German Blu-ray premiere.
The black humor horror movie also has one DVD re-release* received.
“The Uncanny”: Cats need an awful lot of arguments
Writer Wilbur Gray (Peter Cushing) visits his publisher Frank Richards (Ray Milland) and engages him in a conversation about cats. In particular, the question is whether the velvet paws are evil creatures of the devil. Frank doubts it, so Wilbur tells him three chilling stories. One is set in 1912 London and is about a wealthy woman who wants to leave her fortune to her beloved kitties. Greetings from Disney’s The Aristocats, but this time the story ends more British, more cynical and less musical!
Set in Quebec in 1975, the second story tells the story of an orphan whose only friend is a cat – which raises suspicions among those around her. The final story (starring “Halloween” star Donald Pleasence) is set again in Hollywood and centers on a cat as an avenger in a showbiz murder case…
A plus for some, just confusing for others: While Cushing plays his part as someone who believes all cats are evil, “The Uncanny” also allows for the opposite interpretation. Than in a true spooky way, Gray’s stories have a dark admonishing moral – and the cats can always be interpreted as unconventional judges who punish evil.
It remains unclear whether the screenplay written by Michel Parry was designed for this ambiguity, or whether the frame story ends up a stone’s throw from meaninglessness. The creepy fun tonality with which Denis Héroux staged the film doesn’t help either. But that’s what makes “The Uncanny” an effective tool when you’re hungover on the couch and need a movie that velvety confirms your beliefs and thus instills a sense of well-being:
Are cats evil and therefore deserve to be locked up by the world’s police dogs? Are cats cute and witty cheeky villains and therefore lovable? Misunderstood geniuses with strange methods? Or are they the cutest anarchos in the world? Whatever answer you meow to the world, “The Uncanny” purrs it back!