Author's Note: This article was intended for yesterday, as an entry in the "Monster Monday" series, but weather took out the internet for most of the day, so I had to postpone it for a day, or else publish it in the dead of night. I chose to wait. But, for all intents and purposes, it's a Creature Feature, if a very silly one! 😸
Here kitty, kitty...no, wait- on second thought: stay away, kitty! 😼😱
If you know your old-school classic horror movies, then you've probably heard of Amicus Productions. They were a British company, based in Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England, though they were actually founded by American producers/writers Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg. Though they occasionally dabbled in other genres, their main focus was on horror and thrillers, making them direct competitors with the more well-known Hammer Studios.
One of their go-to subgenres was the anthology film, sometimes known as the portmanteau, if you want to be fancy. They kicked off this popular format with the seminal Dr. Terror's House of Horrors in 1965, which launched a whole ongoing series of such films, notably Tales from the Crypt (inspired by the comic of the same name, which also inspired the popular HBO series), Vault of Horror (also based on a comic) and Asylum (featuring stories written by Psycho scribe Robert Block).
By 1977, Amicus had run out of steam and dissolved, with Subotsky moving to Canada. He continued to work in film, trying, with limited success, to keep the whole horror anthology thing going with films like this one and The Monster Club. However, though those films were poorly received, he did bounce back by securing the rights to several Stephen King properties, including two films based on the short story Sometimes They Come Back, which were well-received on home video.
Then came two bona fide box office hits, The Lawnmower Man (though King successfully sued to have his name removed from that, with good reason- it has nothing whatsoever to do with his story) and, almost as if to make up for this film's lackluster box office, another cat-tastic horror anthology, Cat's Eye, which featured a young Drew Barrymore, but which had the cat as the hero this time around, and who serves as connective tissue between the three stories. 😻🙌
I always had a soft spot for horror anthologies, even if the quality of the individual stories wildly varies in the best of them. The Uncanny is certainly no different, and also serves as a sense of how Subotsky was running low on ideas at the time, given that the movie revolves entirely around, um, spooky kitty cats. 😹
Now, mind you, I know everyone out there is scared of something- there's seemingly a word for every wacky phobia you can think of, so naturally there's one for people who fear cats: Ailurophobia. Indeed, no less than Adolf Hitler himself possessed such a fear- maybe someone should have tossed his pussy ass into a pit of cats and we could have avoided a lot of horrific shit in retrospect.
Be all that as it may, most people aren't necessarily freaked out by the furry felines, making a horror movie revolving around them a bit of an iffy prospect at best. But hey, sometimes inspiration strikes and you've gotta follow that muse. Who am I to judge? Okay, actually, that's exactly what I do for a living, so... yeah, I'm about to do just that. It's all a bit silly. 😺
That said, I do love a so-bad-it's-good type of movie, and this one certainly qualifies, thanks to some choice histrionic performances from some of the unlucky actors on the receiving end of death by kitty cats- or, in most cases, through the actions of said cats, as, you know, it would be a bit ridiculous if every story revolved around ravenous, man-or-woman-eating cats.
The wraparound story connecting the individual tails- ahem, make that tales (sorry, couldn't resist) - of kitty mayhem deals with a writer, Wilbur Gray (horror legend Peter Cushing, doing his best to sell this silliness), who is pitching his latest book to his publisher, Frank Richards (another Hollywood legend, Ray Milland), which, you guessed it, deals with freaky cat stories.
Gray is, of course, convinced that cats are evil, so he's none too thrilled when he sees that Richards has one, and even warier when he lets said cat out later on, though you'd think he'd be relieved. Turns out he's not wrong to worry, as he catches said cat having a huddle with some other neighborhood kitties.
Richards is understandably dubious, being a cat person, so he needs some convincing. Gray offers up three stories of deadly cat encounters as evidence of his theory that cats are the spawn of Satan himself, as Richards' cute little kitty keeps a watchful eye on the proceedings, and plots some retaliation for later on, because cats are always up to something. 😼
The first deals with one of those nutty old cat ladies (Joan Greenwood) that intends to leave her fortune to her beloved kitties, which doesn't go over too well with her conniving nephew (Simon Williams, Blood on Satan's Claw), who wants the money for himself. He drafts her housekeeper, Janet (Susan Penhaligon), who he's also sleeping with, to get a hold of the will and destroy it, thus eliminating the evidence.
Alas, she is caught and things take a tragic turn when-spoiler- Janet is forced to kill her boss to cover her tracks. As you might guess, this doesn't go over well with the soon-to-be-swimming-in-catnip kitties, who attack Janet en masse, forcing her to hide out in the cupboard for days on end. Eventually, her BF comes calling with the cops, to see what has happened, and things don't end well for anyone concerned (or rather, anyone involved in the scheme), this being a horror movie and all.
The second story takes place in then-modern-day Quebec, circa 1975. A child, Lucy (Katrina Holden), is left orphaned by a plane crash that claims the lives of both her parents, forcing her to go and live with her aunt (Alexandra Stewart), who isn't too crazy about the situation, especially when she discovers Lucy has a pet cat, and she despises them.
Her daughter, Angela (Chloe Franks), is even less thrilled, and takes to constantly tormenting the poor girl, even going so far as to terrorize her with a remote-control model airplane- did I mention her parents died in a plane crash? Things eventually escalate when the aunt decides to get rid of the cat, permanently, which doesn't go over too well with Lucy.
Turns out that Lucy's mom was a practicing witch, and that Lucy has inherited her mom's talents, as well as her books, which allow her to get revenge on Angela, the real culprit, with a little assist from her familiar, who isn't as easily gotten rid of as her aunt would like. The method she uses to get back at the evil Angela is pretty nutso, in terms of being out-there. This one may well be my fave, in terms of just pure entertainment value.
Finally, we take a trip back to old-school Hollywood, circa 1936, where vain actor Valentine De'ath- what a name!- is shooting what appears to be a Poe-inspired horror flick, when tragedy strikes and the supposedly fake pendulum used in a death scene involving his wife turns out to be all-too-real and actually kills the poor woman. Might the husband have figured out a novel way to get rid of his wife? Have you seen one of these movies? Of course!
De'ath is played by none other than Dr. Loomis himself, Donald Pleasence, who, it turns out, was seeking to pave the way for the part in question to be played by his sexy mistress (Samantha Eggar), who just so happens to look just like his wife- only younger, but of course.
The gambit works, and he seems to have gotten away with everything scot-free, except for one unforeseen issue- his late wife's cat, who apparently knows what he did and aims to do something about it. Or, if that isn't the reason, to add insult to injury, De'ath also steals away her newborn baby kittens, and, though it doesn't show what happens to them, I'm guessing he doesn't follow through on his claim to take them to market to give away or sell.
Shortly thereafter, De'ath returns to work on his film, where everyone is knocked for a loop when stuff starts to go wrong, notably a spotlight crashing down, nearly taking out De'ath, who can't help but notice a certain feline prowling in the rafters afterwards. He then sets about trying to get rid of the vengeful cat, but to no avail, naturally.
Not long after that, things escalate considerably, and the aptly-named actor and his mistress finally get their just desserts in suitably gory fashion. Let's just say it gives the old phrase "cat got your tongue" new meaning- their pun, not mine, for the record.
Finally, we return one last time to the framing story, where Richards promises to have a closer look at the "evidence" Gray has assembled, as he hastily takes his leave, wanting to get home ASAP, what with his suspecting that Richards' cat has been conspiring against him with the other local kitties.
No sooner than he leaves than Richards' cat gives him a look and the man promptly goes all zombie-eyed and tosses all of Gray's materials into the fireplace. So much for all his research! But as the film's resident cat lover, Richards gets off easy. Not so much for Gray.
Sure enough, as Gray heads home, he soon finds himself surrounded by a host of cats, all out for blood, now that they know that he knows their secrets. No sooner can you say "I tawt I taw a puddy tat," then they attack him on the stairs and that's all folks for his exposé on the fiendish felines, as well as the movie itself.
The Uncanny, as you might guess, is pretty ridiculous, and is not exactly a shining example of how to do a proper horror anthology, and yet, it's a lot of fun, not in the least if you find cats about as scary as a ball of twine. I mean, lions, tigers, cougars, even a mountain cat, sure- but a common house cat? Um, no.
So, unless you have an inherent fear of them- in which case you probably wouldn't be watching something like this in the first place- it's not going to give you much in the way of the heebie jeebies. But in terms of entertainment value, it's a lot of fun, thanks in no small part to a game cast that takes the material just seriously enough for it not to descend completely into camp.
Yes, there are undeniably some silly moments- that tends to happen when you're trying to convincingly portray a cat attack (at some point, it just seems a given that someone directly off-camera is likely tossing cats in the actor's general direction, lol) - but overall, it's a competently made film that just so happens to be about a ludicrous subject.
It's nowhere near as cool as these posters make it look, but I suppose that's to be expected, if you know your horror movie poster history. I mean, just look at this one, which is completely misleading, content-wise: there's no nudity to speak of in the film, but there damn near is on this foreign poster for the film.
It helps immeasurably that the cast is mostly made up of old pros at this sort of thing. In addition to the legendary Cushing and Pleasence (if you have to ask... go here and here), there's also Ray Milland, who has a long list of genre credits to his name, especially after a certain point in his career, when he was a long way from his Academy Award-winning peak.
Milland started out a bit player before landing bigger roles in movies like Just a Gigolo, The Glass Key, Reap the Wild Wind and Ministry of Fear. His big breakthrough came with the lead in the classic The Lost Weekend, for which he won an Oscar. Roles in such classic films as The Big Clock, Dial M for Murder, The Last Tycoon and Love Story (as well as the sequel, Oliver's Story) and even his own self-titled TV show followed.
However, Milland is best-known to genre fans for his many horror and sci-fi credits, which include The Uninvited, Premature Burial, Panic in Year Zero, X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes (good one), Frogs (another Creature Feature, with a young, mustache-less Sam Elliott), The Thing with Two Heads (a real hoot), Terror in the Wax Museum, Escape to Witch Mountain, Look What Happened to Rosemary's Baby, The Pyjama Girl Case (the trailer for this one is incredible, even in Italian), Cruise into Terror, The Darker Side of Terror, The Attic and The Sea Serpent.
Joan Greenwood, who used to be quite a dish back in her day, and was known for her husky, purr-like voice, is a perfect fit for the frail old cat lady who loves her kitties more than her own family. The British actress made her debut in The Gentle Sex before gaining notice for her affecting turn in The October Man. She is perhaps best-known for her roles in a series of films from Ealing Studios, including Kind Hearts and Coronets, Whisky Galore, The Bad Lord Byron and The Man in the White Suit.
Other notable roles include: Frenzy (a horror flick, but not the Hitchcock one), The Importance of Being Earnest, A Doll's House, Moonfleet, Mysterious Island, Tom Jones, The Moon-Spinners, The Water Babies and another run-in with fearsome creatures in the classic Sherlock Holmes tale The Hound of the Baskervilles. She was also the voice of the unseen Great Tyrant in the insane cult classic Barbarella, putting that growling tone of hers to good use.
As her not-so-loyal servant, Janet, there's the gorgeous Susan Penhaligon, who has some fairly decent genre credits to her name as well. The lovely actress did a lot of TV in her early days, including a two-episode stint on the OG Dr. Who and two episodes of Tales of the Unexpected. She got everyone's attention in earnest in the hilariously-titled feature film No Sex, Please- We're British, but didn't really register in the States until she made the cult favorite The Land That Time Forgot.
However, horror fans probably know her best from the TV-Movie version of Count Dracula, starring Louis Jordan as the Count to her Lucy; and the Aussie horror favorite Patrick, about the coma patient with telekinesis that wreaks havoc in a hospital as he tries to make the nurse played by Penhaligon his, by any means necessary. She mostly stuck to TV after that, notably on the long-running British soap Emmerdale.
Moving on to the second story, there's Alexandra Stewart as the aunt with a distaste for cats. The Canadian actress had her big breakthrough in the classic Exodus, alongside Paul Newman, but preferred working in France, where she made many films, such as an adaption of the classic novel, Le bel âge, as well as Secret Violence, The Fire Within, Day for Night and many more where that came from.
That said, she has her fair share of genre credits, too, including the thriller The Bride Wore Black, a big influence on Kill Bill; as well as Obsessions, Them, Sugar Cookies, Black Moon, Goodbye Emmanuelle (aka Emmanuelle 3), The Last Chase, Femmes and another feline-centric thriller, Because of the Cats.
As the sadly orphaned Lucy, there's young Katrina Holden Bronson, who was herself orphaned IRL after this film, leaving it with a layer of both sadness and catharsis in retrospect, given her role here. Interestingly, her mom was a casting director, who worked with David Cronenberg on The Brood, featuring her co-star hin this film, Samantha Eggar. Bronson was then adopted by none other than action movie legend Charles Bronson and his then-wife, actress Jill Ireland (who starred in several of his movies), hence Bronson's surname.
Bronson only acted sporadically, including a cameo in Death Wish 4 alongside her adopted father, and bigger roles in Defying Gravity, Winding Roads and Spanish Fly. Her best-known credit, though, is probably her turn behind the camera as the writer and director of the Johnny Knoxville vehicle, Daltry Calhoun, which was also executive produced by none other than Quentin Tarantino.
Better-known is her fellow child actress Chloe Franks, who played Lucy's tormentor, Angela. Franks was a genre regular from when she was just a kid, making her debut in the amusingly bad Creature Feature Trog, starring no less than Joan Crawford. She continued to land impressive projects with a role in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?, featuring acclaimed character actress Shelley Winters.
This wasn't her first horror anthology rodeo, either, as she also was featured in the Amicus flicks The House That Dripped Blood and played Joan Collins' daughter in the infamous killer Santa segment of Tales from the Crypt. She also had bit roles in I, Monster and The Deadly Females, before calling it a day at the ripe old age of 20 with a solid turn in the TV miniseries Death of an Expert Witness.
Unlike her holy terror of a character here, IRL she was a dedicated social worker that went on to work for advocating for people with disabilities, after a bout with rheumatoid arthritis herself. Fortunately, she learned to manage it in time, leading her to her newfound vocation and her work helping others with disabilities get jobs and a solid education.
In the final segment, there's the aforementioned Samantha Eggar. Though a bit on the annoying side here- one assumes on purpose, given the character, who is supposed to be a terrible actress and a terrible person, besides- Eggar is actually a versatile actress with a long list of impressive credits to her name.
She made her movie debut in Young and Willing, alongside a young John Hurt and Ian McShane- not too shabby- followed by well-received turns in the thrillers Dr. Crippen and Psyche 59, before she had her big breakthrough in her Oscar-nominated turn in The Collector, another psychological drama.
Her career took off from there, with roles in the classics Dr. Dolittle and The Molly Maguires (with Sean Connery), but it is her genre work that horror and sci-fi fans most remember her for, including The Light at the Edge of the World, The Dead are Alive, A Name for Evil, the left-of-center Sherlock Holmes flick The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Welcome to Blood City, The Exterminator, Demonoid, the slasher favorite Curtains, The Phantom, The Astronaut's Wife and the notorious The Brood, which gave many a member of my generation second thoughts about having kids, lol. She also had a small role in the TV series The Nine Lives of Chloe King, another cat-adjacent project.
I should also mention the actors Roland Culver, from the first segment- he was the man who helped Miss Malkin with her will- who was in the granddaddy of horror anthologies, Dead of Night and the James Bond flick Thunderball; Donald Pilon, who played the husband in segment two, of the cult horror classic The Pyx; Renée Girard, who played the woman who brings Lucy to live with her aunt, was in the amusingly bad Cathy's Curse the same year as this film; much-beloved character actor John Vernon, who played the producer of the movie in segment three, is perhaps best-known as Dean Wormer in the classic Animal House and the evil Warden in Chained Heat; and last, but not least, Catherine Bégin, who played the ill-fated Madeleine, the wife of Pleasence's character, was no less than the nefarious Mademoiselle in the epic gore-fest Martyrs (the good one, not the remake).
The Uncanny isn't going to win any awards for best horror anthology- hell, I don't even know if it'd make the Top 40- but if you've seen all the big ones and you love the subgenre, then maybe give it a whirl, especially if you find the idea of killer kitties amusing.
It's readily available on DVD and Blu-Ray, the latter of which features an interview with Susan Penhaligon and a crisp new transfer, courtesy of Severin. The latter is a bit pricey, but I'm sure you can get it used on Amazon or eBay or what have you.
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