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Cat People

Play trailer Poster for Cat People Released Dec 6, 1942 1h 13m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 72 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a New York City--based fashion designer who hails from Serbia, begins a romance with marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). After the couple gets married, Oliver becomes concerned about Irena's notion that she is cursed and may transform into a large cat in the heat of passion. Confiding in his beautiful assistant, Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), about his marital issues, Oliver unwittingly triggers Irena's curse, with tragic results.
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Cat People

Cat People

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Critics Consensus

Influential noir director Jacques Tourneau infused this sexy, moody horror film with some sly commentary about the psychology and the taboos of desire.

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Critics Reviews

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Mildred Martin Philadelphia Inquirer A weird little chiller called Cat People... is calculated to frighten you out of your wits and make you think twice before trusting anyone who arouses a feline's instinctive dislike. Dec 30, 2020 Full Review Len G. Shaw Detroit Free Press Simone makes her way through his combination of phantasy and reality, and comes off creditably in a part that calls for emotional repression. Dec 30, 2020 Full Review Mae Tinee Chicago Tribune Photography and settings are effective, and the naturalness of the dialog issuing from such a murk of the fantastic is very impressive. Dec 30, 2020 Full Review Peter Bell Vague Visages Director Tourneur utilizes the rich imagery of the King John legend and the Cat People throughout the film. Jun 22, 2023 Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast It's a classic for a reason. Rated: 4/5 Dec 6, 2022 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault A classic about male fears of female sexuality and women’s unwitting complicity in those fears. Rated: A+ Nov 23, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas de terror são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, e tem uma cena específica dela pensando estar sendo perseguida e daí chega o ônibus assustando ela, essa cena está na lista das top 100 maiores cenas assustadoras do mundo, essa lista pode ver no wikipedia como (The 100 Scariest Movie Moments). Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/13/25 Full Review Lau S I love this horror movie! Damn great! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/29/25 Full Review Madoka A Fantastic. Spooky. Funny. Great product! Really good! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/23/25 Full Review Dallas H The Lewton Bus jump scare is the bane of my horror movie watching existence. As wisely yelled by Brick in Anchorman, "LOUD NOISES!" Beyond this irksome creation, I like the movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/20/24 Full Review Ted B 4.0 stars; This movie is a great example of how you can create suspense, fright, and horror in a psychological thriller without using a bunch of cheap special effects. The suspense was created in the unseen. The only attempt at it was the silly cartoon cats that appeared in Irena's dream/nightmare. Simone Simon was perfectly cast for the lead role. The plot was weird only because she made it so. I can't help but wonder what the audience in 1942 thought of this movie. Did they recognize it as a classic in its own right? Today, cheap special effects and over-the-top acting would be slapped onto the production, and it would be relegated to B-level TV and theaters. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/10/24 Full Review Alec B Despite the silly title, this is a solid and economic thriller. Also, the movie is barely coy about it's sexual themes which no doubt contributed to it's surprisingly popularity. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/03/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Cat People

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Cast & Crew

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Jacques Tourneur

Director

Simone Simon

Irena Dubrovna Reed

Kent Smith

Oliver Reed

Tom Conway

Dr. Louis Judd

Jane Randolph

Alice Moore

Jack Holt

The Commodore

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Cat People

Cat People (1942) Cat People (1942) Cat People (1942) Cat People (1942) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a New York City--based fashion designer who hails from Serbia, begins a romance with marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). After the couple gets married, Oliver becomes concerned about Irena's notion that she is cursed and may transform into a large cat in the heat of passion. Confiding in his beautiful assistant, Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), about his marital issues, Oliver unwittingly triggers Irena's curse, with tragic results.
Director
Jacques Tourneur
Producer
Val Lewton
Screenwriter
DeWitt Bodeen
Production Co
RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 6, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 17, 2016
Runtime
1h 13m
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