Lucio Fulci’s Cat in the Brain is an interesting film. Fulci fans that I know seem to consider this to be lesser Fulci, as they generally seem to do with his later work. Of course, we know that to be wrong. There is no such thing as bad Fulci, only less good Fulci. For many, Cat in the Brain would fall under the less good Fulci umbrella. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed the film but the more I’ve watched it, the more I’ve begun to love it. Is it Fulci’s best film? No, but it’s damn good.

In the film Fulci plays himself, or at least a version of himself. He’s a horror film director and he seems to be losing his mind. Reality begins to mimic Fulci’s work and it drives him to the brink of insanity. Things really begin to go off the deep end when murders start occurring near the location of Fulci’s latest film. Fearful that he may be committing the murders he seeks the help of a psychiatrist.

The film is extremely meta and helps set the stage for what Wes Craven would do later in the ’90s. With Cat in the Brain Fulci shows he has a sense of humor and isn’t afraid to poke fun at himself. The movie uses humor quite a bit, at times playing more like a comedy — but you know, one that is blood-soaked.

Meta films, particularly those in the world of horror, seemed to elicit strong reactions. You have one group of people that dislike them because they see them as an attack on horror and then a second group that finds great entertainment in the loving jabs meta-horror films take on the genre. I find myself in the second group. In my eyes, you can’t take a meta approach unless you truly love what you’re referencing and I think that’s what Fulci was setting out to do. After having mixed results across a wide range of genres Fulci finally found his niche in the horror world in the late ’70s and spent the majority of his later years working in the genre. Cat in the Brain is a loving tribute and recap of the time he spent working in that world.

I’m certainly not the first person to say this, but it’s hard to watch this movie and not immediately make the comparison to 8 1/2. While this isn’t the groundbreaking masterpiece that Fellini’s classic is, this is certainly Fulci’s attempt at creating a film in much the same way. A large portion of the film was even shot in or around Cinecittà Studios, which served as the home for Federico Fellini for several years.

The production of Cat in the Brain may be more interesting than the film itself. A lot of times you hear about things being fixed in post, but this is a movie that was almost entirely crafted in post-production. A bulk of the violence in the film is actually from other movies that Fulci either directed or produced. Fulci then shot the stuff with him and recorded the voiceover and he and editor Vincenzo Tomass shaped the story of the film in post. This certainly isn’t the most typical approach to filmmaking but in this case, it works quite well.

Cat in the Brain recently received a 3-disc Blu-ray release from Grindhouse Releasing. For anyone that owns a Grindhouse Releasing release that should be enough to convince you this release is worth having. Grindhouse constantly delivers top of the line products and this is another fine example. The first two discs are both Blu-rays, one containing the feature film, and one with special features, the third disc is the film’s soundtrack from the wonderful Fabio Frizzi.

The picture quality here isn’t as nice as it is on other Grindhouse Releasing releases but I believe that has less to do with the work done by Grindhouse and more to do with what they had to work with. The picture isn’t as sharp or detailed as something like Pieces but this is far and away the best the film has ever looked. So while it may not blow you away, it is still quite good.

The special features are loaded as one would expect from a Grindhouse release:

– In-depth interviews with director Lucio Fulci and cult superstar Brett Halsey (REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, RETURN OF THE FLY, THE GODFATHER 3)
– New interviews with composer Fabio Frizzi, screenwriter Antonio Tentori, cinematographer Sandro Grossi and poster artist Enzo Sciotti
– Lucio Fulci’s heroic appearance at the 1996 NYC Fangoria Weekend of Horrors
– Original Italian theatrical trailer & gallery of stills and poster art
– Liner notes by Antonella Fulci, David J. Schow, Eli Roth and Martin Beine
– BONUS CD – the original soundtrack by Fabio Frizzi!
– Chilling GLOW-IN-THE-DARK slip cover – limited to first 3000 copies
– Mini portrait of Lucio Fulci – suitable for framing – limited to first 3000 copies

In total, the special features run nearly four hours. Most of what is included are various interviews with different folks discussing the career of Fulci and the relationship they had with him. My personal favorite is a feature entitled ‘Frizzi & Fulci’ and it’s all about the role Frizzi’s music plays in the films of Fulci. The liner notes in the booklet are also really cool, particularly those from Fulci’s daughter Antonella. Like all Grindhouse Releasing Blu-rays, this is beautifully packaged in a wonderful slipcase, and if you were able to snag one of the first 3,000 that slipcase glows in the dark.

Cat in the Brain is a wonderful, personal film from Lucio Fulci. It may work as an introduction to those just getting to know Fulci but it is best served for die-hard Fulci fans looking to relive the legendary director’s glorious horror career all in one film.

Cat in the Brain is now available on Blu-ray from Grindhouse Releasing.