As distribution models shifted and a mere tease of bare flesh wasn't nearly enough to satisfy the grindhouse, filmmakers and distributors realized that their now seemingly chaste older product wasn't going to fill seats. One method of solving this problem was to take an under-performing feature and rework it with new scenes and a trashier campaign. Two of the most fascinating examples of this are CONFESSIONS OF A PSYCHO CAT and THE FAT BLACK PUSSYCAT, both of which are at last hitting Blu-ray from Distribpix + Something Weird, newly restored from their original negatives.
A mysterious woman gathers a trio of misfits and offers them the chance to compete in a strange survival competition for a prize of $100,000. But there's a deadly catch as she's set up a series of fatal traps, each reflecting the vices of her participants. Will anyone survive the fiendish clutches of this psycho cat? A gritty, NYC-set adaptation of "The Most Dangerous Game," CONFESSIONS OF A PSYCHO CAT began life as a straight murder thriller before being transformed into a terrific sleazy mix of bloody killings and drug-fueled sex, even featuring legendary boxer Jake LaMotta (Raging Bull) in one of his few acting appearances. A black-gloved killer is on the loose, stalking and slashing young hepcat couples in NYC’s Greenwich Village. With a black cat strangely found prowling near each of the corpses, a detective goes undercover in the youth scene to try and sniff out this fiendish assailant, while romancing a college professor whose own strange interests have placed her too in the killer's sights.
Originally a more traditional whodunit set in the then-trendsetting early 60s Village beat scene, THE FAT BLACK PUSSYCAT proved a box office flop and was re-tooled into a delectably crass proto-slasher/giallo, complete with nudity and several splashy new slice-n-dice killings! At long last you can now finally enjoy both versions in stunning new restorations.
directed by: Herbert S. Altman & Robert Worms, Harold Lea
starring: Arleen Lorrance, Ed Garrabrandt, Frank Geraci, Richard Lorrance, Jake LaMotta, Frank Janus, Janet Damon, Patrica McNair, Lynn Gregory, Dia Mitchell, Barbara Wilkinson
1967, 1963 / 69 min, 89 min / 1.37:1; 1.66:1 / English DTS-HD MA 1.0
