I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Strong and Moving!

Memorable, crazy movie

Fantastic!

So I thought maybe this is an idiom/expression I haven't heard of before, but google suggests otherwise. So it apparently is "only" the film title of this Lucio Fulci ... therapy session. Therapy session for Fulci himself that is. Although I'm not sure one can say it makes away with all the anxieties, fears and general problems one might have.Still this feels like Fulci did this more for himself, while still being able to titillate people and make a movie that is disturbing. Now there doesn't seem a clear message (as in, did he have those demons in real life, is just complete fiction, how does he really feel about all this?) and I don't think he made it clear in his interviews either, what his feelings are. But then again, maybe that got lost in translation ... whatever the case, there is another movie that might have been a bit ahead of its time back then, but is way dated now ... So while it does have its merits, the point is brought home quite early and the rest is just some effects and nudity thrown in for good measure ... or bad measure, depending on your take ...

A Cat in the Brain (1990) ** (out of 4)After years of filming ultra-violent scenes for horror films, director Lucio Fulci begins to think that it's impacting his mental state. He begins to see a shrink who decides to act out his own violent fantasies by mutilating women and trying to make the director think that he's the one committing the crimes.A CAT IN THE BRAIN came at the very end of the Italian horror craze and people are either going to see it as a cult masterpiece or an incredibly awful hack job. I'm somewhere in the middle on this because there's so much gore and madness here that you can't help but be slightly entertained if you like that sort of thing. However, at the same time, there's no question that they were working with very little to no money and you can't help but see it as a hack job since the majority of the footage here comes from other movies.Footage from Fulci's TOUCH OF DEATH gets the most scenes here but we also get clips from his THE GHOSTS OF SODOM. There's also footage from THE BROKEN MIRROR, HANSEL AND GRETEL, MASSACRE and BLOODY PSYCHO, which is scattered throughout the picture. All of the gore scenes are taken from those pictures and usually the "new" footage has Fulci either directing those scenes or witnessing them. Either way, it's really not as creative as it could have been and just gives the film a very cheap look and feel.Some have argued that this here was Fulci's 8 1/2 but that's a bit of a stretch as I'd argue that the main reason for this film is that the movies this borrowed from didn't get that good of a release so they took the best moments, threw them in this film and sold the fact that Fulci was playing himself. It obviously worked as those films have been forgotten while A CAT IN THE BRAIN continues to gain a cult audience.The story is pretty much a mess and not all of the new scenes fit well with the stock footage. As far as Fulci goes, it's certainly fun getting to see him act in the lead role but one wishes that the material would have been slightly better. As I said, the film has a very weird and crazy feel to it and it does have some sort of bizarre atmosphere. There's a lot of gore in the picture and that there will be the main draw but again, why give this film the credit for that when the best gore shots are from other movies?This latest viewing of A CAT IN THE BRAIN was the first time I had watched it while also having watched all of the films that footage was lifted from. This film is certainly better than most of those movies, although I will say TOUCH OF DEATH is a better picture. With that said, my opinion of this film has actually gone down a little bit after seeing the original movies in their full length. They're certainly not good movies but there's no way around the fact that this films best moments are from those films.

"A Cat in the Brain" is an incredibly enjoyable gore and sleaze-filled romp.**SPOILERS**Working on his newest movie, director Lucio Fulci, (Lucio Fulci) begins to feel like his career as a horror-only film-maker has caught up with him, as he begins to witness horrible hallucinations that remind him of what he has shot throughout his career. Desperate to help him, friend Officer Gabrielli, (Jeoffrey Kennedy) suggests that he visit psychiatrist Professor Egon Schwarz, (David L. Thompson) who immediately recognizes his frail mind and begins to formulate a plan to corrupt him. As the hallucinations continue, he goes back to the doctor and agrees to undergo hypnosis. A vicious crime spree begins to sweep the city, and he is at the center of it all. Desperate to understand what's happening to him, he tries to get the movie finished and solve the mystery about the vicious killing going on that has him as the primary suspect.The Good News: This here is actually a really entertaining and enjoyable film. One of it's best features is that there's a huge amount of blood and gore in the film. This one has a higher body count than what would normally be considered for a film of this kind, and these are just incredibly brutal and gory. There's some really brutal stabbings, a hand being loped off with a hatchet, being viciously run over with a car that opens up the chest, repeatedly stabbed in the head with a knife, thrown down a flight of stairs from a wheelchair and having the wheel run over the throat and a heaping amount of decapitations. This has at least half-a-dozen decapitations here, and several are pretty novel. Having it sliced off in a guillotine-style fashion between two pieces of furniture or being sliced off from being strangled with piano wire stand out as the big ones here, while there's several others in here just as great. This is one gory film, and it works in the right perspective. They come mainly from the hallucinations he witnesses in here, which themselves are quite exciting. They come from out of nowhere, are genuinely creepy and provide most of the best individual scenes in the film. The chase through the woods, the assault on the family in their home and the movie shoot in the cemetery, which is just plain fun in it's own right, are made all the better due to their no-nonsense cheese and feature a wide variety of different ways to make them entertaining. The cemetery scene, which is part of the movie made, is it's best scene, with a really great atmosphere, tons of chilling ideas and some great moments in it that are both creative and enjoyable. This is also a lot sleazier than might be expected, which is perfectly enjoyable. Along with several pretty nice nude scenes along the way, this also has a scene-stealing orgy scene done for the movie-within that is quite nice, and is a really enjoyable scene for those who love that kind of stuff. It's last big positive is that this is certainly a creative plot, one that wouldn't really be thought of for the time being. All-in-all, this was a highly enjoyable film.The Bad News: There isn't a whole lot of flaws in this one. There's a pretty unorthodox way of getting to the main point of the film, as at times the fantasy-is-reality gimmick gets a little confusing. There's times near the end where it's hard to determine whether or not it's in the movie or just a hallucination. That really makes it a little hard to get on first-time viewing. The weak quality of the special effects is something else, since most of the time it's obvious that they're just prosthetics. That there is the main thing, as it feels way too cheap for most of the really great gore to be taken seriously. That there is the biggest flaw, and the main problems with the film.The Final Verdict: This is a really impressive and really manages to get a lot right with only a few minor, inconsequential flaws. Highly recommended to hardcore Italian horror fans or fans of Fulci's work from the past, while it's hard to find those who won't enjoy this one.Rated UR/NC-17: Extreme Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, Language and several mild sex scenes

"Cat In The Brain" is a series of extremely violent sequences knitted together by a plot that feels more like an overview, describing director Lucio Fulci's most notorious years of film-making. The movie could also be seen as a dark comedy of sorts, effectively spoofing the various claims that violent cinema causes violence in real life. Fulci goes further than that, he casts himself as the star, the central figure of the film thus showing the audience who is the man behind all the cinematic gore. "Cat in The Brain" is not about presenting a clear story and following it. Instead it pokes fun at some of the clichés that have been surrounding the horror genre for years.Lucio Fulci plays himself as a horror director struggling to keep his humanity intact. Years of violent film making have finally began to reach him. It starts slowly, steaks and meat in general begin to disgust him, his colleagues assure Fulci that all he needs is some rest. But that doesn't help and soon the grotesque ideas for his movies begin to overwhelm his daily thoughts. In an attempt to find a cure for his dangerously maddening mental state Lucio starts going to the local psychiatrist. Unfortunately that does more wrong than good and Fulci is thrown into an even bigger mess, as the psychiatrist turns out to be a psychopath, who mimics the murders from Fulci's films in real life.The film retains all the trademarks of Italian splatter cinema, good or bad they are all here. So any comments about the acting or the technical aspects and budget constrains are quite irrelevant as to the quality of the film. It is a visual experience, no doubts about it. Fulci throws in an incredible amount of violence easily surpassing pretty much everything he's made. Amputated by chainsaw limbs, cannibalism, child murder, decapitation, these are just some of the many grotesque acts witnessed in "Cat In The Brain". Some of them are obviously recycled from a few the director's less profile movies but they don't stand out of the context, and actually feel quite at home here. As I noted before the movie exists much better as a satire of the genre rather than a serious piece. The way some of the violence is presented does help establish that idea. Such sequences shortly after climax are rejected by the reality in the film, as they are revealed to be actually scenes inside a movie that Fulci's character is directing. This sort of "film in film" presentation lessens somewhat the impact of the gore. But in no way does it make it an easy to watch film. Oh no this is far beyond and above the levels of gore found in mainstream horror, and gorehounds will in no doubt be satisfied with that fact.Lucio Fulci was a very polarized figure. People either hate his work or love it. "Cat in the Brain" won't convince any of Fulci's detractors in the opposite but it is nevertheless an interesting part of his filmography. One that fans should really check out.