The Uncanny (1977) – Episode 114 – Decades of Horror 1970s

“If you and daddy die in a plane crash, could I have a cat then?” It seems like a fair trade, right? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they get a dose of feline terror in The Uncanny (1977), an anthology film starring Peter Cushing.

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 114 – The Uncanny (1977)

Wilbur Gray has stumbled upon a terrible secret, that cats are supernatural creatures who really call the shots. In a desperate attempt to get others to believe him, Wilbur spews three tales of feline horror.

IMDb

• Director: Denis Héroux
• Writer: Michel Parry
• Cast by segments
  • “Montreal 1977” (connecting story)
    • Peter Cushing as Wilbur Gray
    • Ray Milland as Frank Richards
  • “London 1912”
    • Susan Penhaligon as Janet
    • Joan Greenwood as Miss Malkin
    • Roland Culver as Wallace
    • Simon Williams as Michael
  • “Quebec 1975”
    • Donald Pilon as Mr. Blake
    • Alexandra Stewart as Mrs. Joan Blake
    • Chloe Franks as Angela Blake
    • Katrina Holden Bronson as Lucy
    • Renée Girard as Mrs. Maitland
  • “Hollywood 1936”
    • Samantha Eggar as Edina Hamilton
    • Donald Pleasence as Valentine De’ath
    • John Vernon as Pomeroy
    • Catherine Bégin as Madeleine
    • Jean LeClerc as Barrington
    • Sean McCann as The Inspector

The Uncanny, a lesser-known Canadian anthology film, is not an Amicus production, even though it is produced by Amicus co-founder Milton Subotsky. The Decades of Horror Grue-Crews love portmanteaus and this one is no exception. Driven by Peter Cushing’s powerful performance opposite Ray Milland in the connecting story, The Uncanny is a worthy, if flawed, addition. Three fairly strong stories of feline mayhem are topped off with the final tale starring Donald Pleasance, Samantha Eggar, and John Vernon obviously having great fun with their roles.

The 1970s Grue-Crew wander through this episode’s discussion like cats looking for something to push off the table. Doc tries to keep them on track but you know what they say about herding cats. The discussion frequently strays off-topic and inevitably goes to the familiar “cats vs. dogs” argument. In case you’re interested, Doc and Bill are cat-people while Chad and Jeff are dog-men.

At any rate, The Uncanny is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and is recommended by your faithful Grue-Crew. Peter After all, with Cushing, Ray Milland, Donald Pleasance, Samantha Eggar, John Vernon, conspiratorial cats, an incredible shrinking girl, and consumption of human flesh, what’s not to like? 

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be Lady Frankenstein (1971), an Italian film starring Joseph Cotten.

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans:  leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at docrotten@decadesofhorror.com.

Jeff Mohr

Jeff lives smack dab in the middle of the cornfields of Iowa and is a long-time horror fan. His first remembered encounters with the genre were The Wizard of Oz, Tarzan gorilla chases, and watching the first broadcast of The Twilight Zone episode, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." While he now qualifies as an old fart, he strives to be an Old Boy. Paraphrasing Robert Bloch, he has the heart of a small boy. He keeps it in a jar on his desk.

Jeff has written for Horrornews.net and SQ Horror Magazine. He currently writes for Gruesome Magazine and is a co-host of the Decades of Horror podcasts - The Classic Era, 1970s, and 1980s - and the Gruesome Magazine Podcast.