John Russo

I enjoyed this one, it did not deviate from the movie much at all (too bad poor Barbara's all too brief revenge attack wasn't present in the movie), but its descriptions of the ghouls were much nastier than in the film and you get more from the inside the heads of the characters. There was also more with the posse on the move and the sheriff who is more of an actual character here appearing in the latter third of the story. The first half of the book was very thrilling (a little more than in the movie and gorier), which I enjoyed. The only thing I really did not like here was that there was a strange semi-philosophical ramble as intro before the story gets started in chapter one which was utterly unnecessary and, in my opinion, a major misstep by the author. Likewise, the preface by George A. Romero was, unfortunately, horribly boring. However, I would recommend this one to those who just want a quick, to-the-point, easy-to-read, zombie romp whether they have or have not seen the film (and/or its 1990 remake). Just skip the preface and that weird little bit at the very beginning of the first chapter.… (meer)

John Russo will go down in history as the screenwriter of the groundbreaking 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. As a horror novelist he has been less artistically successful, churning out a series of uninteresting, drearily violent books; this is the only one that kinda-sorta works. Make no mistake: Black Cat is not a classic. If you're looking for depth of feeling or well-drawn, believable characters, you ain't gonna find 'em here; this is absurd pulp trash through and through. (It's about the spirit of a malevolent African witch doctor inhabiting the body of a panther, for christ's sake.) But if you want a quick, easy, action-packed read with occasional flashes of spooky atmosphere, this book will get you through the weekend. Two and a half stars.… (meer)