REVIEW OF MOH THE BLACK CAT

Edgar Allan Poe has been written into his own universe before. There is the masterful short story The Man Who Collected Poe by no less a horror luminary than Robert Bloch and now he’s been given a taste of his own medicine by Stuart Gordon and it’s good medicine indeed for a TV show that needs to start showing some originality if it isn’t going to overstay its welcome with fans. MOH: THE BLACK CAT is wonderful. Have I seen Jeffrey Combs turn in a better performance since Re-Animator? I’m obliged to say no. He brings Poe fully and disturbingly to life in a story that absolutely demands it and he’s helped in surprisingly elegant fashion by Stuart Gordon, a director not known for subtlety. Events from Poes life are weaved in and out of elements from Poe’s The Black Cat to tell an entirely different story than MOH fans are used to. Don’t worry the requisite gore is present and accounted for and actually rather well used invoking a genuine sense of horror and unease. The extras here are solid. A Making Of featurette utilizes interviews with all the principles and an FX featurette highlights the outstanding effects of KNB effects group on the episode. You also get a commentary from Gordon and Combs.