AKA: Un Gatto Nel Cervello, Nightmare Concert

One of Lucio Fulci's later and lesser known works sees the director taking on the lead role, in which he plays himself as a troubled movie director, who's plagued with nightmarish visions from his latest film.

Fearing that he might be cracking up, he goes to see a psychologist. But this only seems to make matters worse, as he starts attacking cast members, then assaulting a girl reporter from a documentary team who were interviewing him.

Fortunately she doesn't seem to mind being roughed up, but realising his behaviour is not becoming of him, he goes back to see his psychologist who tries hypnotising him to find out what’s wrong. But this does not improve his situation, as he discovers that he apparently confessed to a series of recent murders whilst he was under.

Refusing to believe what he’s supposed to have said, Fulci presses on with his latest film, which interestingly enough is about some maniacal killer taking chainsaws and assorted butchers implements to nubile young women. But when not on the set it seems that he is somehow connected with the recent slew of killings in the town, as we’re treated to several brutal stabbings, axe murders, and even chainsaw killings.

Is he really turning into a schizophrenic killer, or is it all in his mind? If’ he’s not the killer, then who could be? Does his psychologist know more than he’s letting on? Well obviously, the answer to that last one is yes, but in case you’re unfamiliar with this film I won’t ruin the plot.

Totally incoherent, even by Fulci's standards, whilst displaying many of his usual trademarks, including maggot ridden corpses, bloody disembowellings, eye trauma, throat slashings and of course plenty of female nudity. As is the case with many of his later efforts, fans of his earlier works may not find this as satisfying and is certainly not in the same calibre, but still proves to be enjoyable enough Z- grade splatter.

Overall Marks 4/10.

Other Information.

• This film had the dubious honour of being rejected outright by the UK censors when the submitted for classification back in 1999. However, when re-submitted in 2003, following a change in management and a relaxation in the censorship rules, it was passed completely uncut, much to the suprise of everyone.
   

• The films budget was $100,000.
   

• The version originally released in Italy in the early 90's missed out the last scene from the ending, so it looked like Fulci really had gone mad. The original ending was restored for the US and UK releases.
   

• Some of the incidental music was rehashed from "The Beyond".
   

• The man with the chainsaw outside Fulci's house was played by the Art Department Property Master Vincenzo Luzzi.
   

• The original German video had a massive 20mins cut from it, but was still given a "Not under 18" rating.
   

• Many of the scenes in the film were lifted from other movies, some of which were taken from Fulci's own "Ghosts of Sodom", along with Andrea Bianchi’s "Massacre", Leandro Lucchett’s "The Snake House" and Giovanni Simonelli’s "Non Si Sevizia i Bambini" in which Fulci had worked on in a supervisory capacity.

Cast and Crew.

Cover Gallery.

Theatrical trailer. (1.56MB)

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