Night of a 1000 Cats – original title: La noche de los mil gatos – is a 1972 Mexican horror film directed by Rene Cardona Jr. and produced by Mario Zacarias.
Plot:
A playboy serial killer (Hugo Stiglitz) seduces beautiful women, inviting them to his ranch/castle, and then proceeds to kill them in gruesome ways. He uses the flesh of the women to feed a large number of captive feral cats that he keeps in a pit, whilst retaining their heads as trophies, pickled inside glass jars.
However, one woman escapes. The spoilt maniac runs after her and receives a minor face injury during a struggle with his intended victim. Meanwhile, the furious felines escape from their pussy pit and, smelling fresh blood, attack and devour their cruel tormentor…
Reviews:
“A lot of Cats is pretty ludicrous (if you couldn’t guess), but the inherent silliness of the situation is often lost by the somnambulistic tone of the whole production — it’s low on violence, gore, excitement, and basic entertainment value. What it does have in abundance is lethargic performances, bikini-clad non-actresses, and hideous early-’70s fashions…” Steve Puchalski, Shock Cinema
Cast and characters:
- Anjanette Comer … Cathy
- Hugo Stiglitz … Hugo
- Zulma Faiad … Dancer
- Christa Linder … Christa
- Tere Velázquez … Woman Who Shoots Doves
- Barbara Angely … Barbara
- Gerardo Zepeda … Dorgo
- Jorge Russek … Husband
- Delia Peña Orta … Cathy, the daughter
- John Kelly … Stranded doctor
- Marcelo Villamil … Dancer’s lover
Reception:
The film has caused controversy due to its seemingly cruel treatment of the cats. One scene depicts Hugo Stiglitz violently grabbing a large white cat and tossing him over a high wall into its pen. The camera does not cut away, thus indicating that the real cat was thrown.
Release:
In the United States, Academy Video released the film on VHS as Blood Feast (“They feed on human flesh…”). It has no relation to the seminal 1963 splatter film of the same title.