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 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/03/24
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Dave C
It has the elegance and intelligence akin so many 1940's movies, and such qualities work superbly with this story. The premise is simple enough, but that doesn't weaken the story at all. In fact, it allows Jacques Tourneur the ability to slant the story to one of intimate relationships and the strange idea that some may not be intimate, with consequences beyond rational thought, as opposed to a thoughtless horror/suspense movie. Admittedly, this isn't suspenseful by today's standards perhaps, but it is strongly written, and suggestive, making it an absorbing watch - which is sometimes more powerful. The performances are brilliant too.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
10/31/23
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Dave S
Irena (Simone Simon), a Serb working in New York's fashion industry, believes that she is a descendent of an ancient group from her homeland who are transformed into cats when passionately aroused. When she falls in love with the skeptical Oliver (Kent Smith), things begin to become awkward. Jacques Tourneur's Cat People is an exceptionally well-made film, filled with vivid black and white cinematography, some creative lighting, strong performances, and a creepy score. However, it's sometimes difficult to buy into the silly premise and, furthermore, horror fans will probably be disappointed as there is little in the way of scares (other than the creepy pool scene, maybe) over the course of the scant 73-minute running time.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
11/07/23
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ChrisCSH H
Beautifully shot film, starring Simone Simon, who is absolutely brilliant in the film. Great visuals and overall plot, emphasizing on the struggles of female sexuality of the time and how they were criticized for that belief. all in all a really good horror film for the time although there were better horror films of the time.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
10/16/23
Full Review
Sabrina F
The first thing to state about Cat People is that it is very much a product of its time for better and for worse. For better, you get some great dialogue, atmospheric use of chiaroscuro, and nice set pieces, features common in film noir at the time. For worse, you get "foreign woman bad/American woman good", an odd bit of Christian propaganda, and a glimpse into the sad reality of zoos back then.
If you can enjoy the film despite its more dated aspects, Cat People is ultimately a tragic story about a woman who is cursed. There is even a slight little wink-wink to The Wolfman in this film. It visually stunning, and it has a few genuinely creepy moments. The tragic conclusion is met with a sort of "Oh, well" attitude by some of the other characters, which was an odd and rather cold choice, but overall I thought Cat People was a pretty good watch. It is fast-paced, and it has a lot of strong cinematic elements that make it edge towards greatness. The big problem is that the creative team could not figure out if we are supposed to feel bad for Irena or view her solely as a villain.
Hot take, but if you want to see Cat People done right, with a more complex and sympathetic heroine, give the 1982 movie a watch. It is far better in so many ways.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
09/29/23
Full Review
Matthew B
During the 1940s while Universal Classics was making horror movies that recycled the same monsters from the 1930s with diminishing returns, RKO Radio Pictures found a new way to reinvigorate the genre.
The mastermind behind this was Val Lewton. Lewton had been in the movie industry for some time, but this was the first time that he was given creative control of a film. That film was Cat People, and it ushered in five years of RKO horror movies that had a style of their own. The directors varied, but the driving force that gave the films their distinct look was their producer, Val Lewton.
What was the Lewton style? On a basic level, the films were cheap, and usually delivered within their low budget. There were no major film stars in them. There were no monsters (actors in heavy make-up), and no special effects. The films were short. The action took place on only a few sets. In the case of Cat People, the most lavish set was one left over from an earlier film, The Magnificent Ambersons.
This is the way in which many bad movies are produced, but what made Lewton's films superior is that they were made with genuine imagination. We do not laugh at the cheapness of the films, because we are not shown anything risible. We see shadows and hear sounds, but the menace is mostly invisible. The threat is suggested more often than it is seen, and the stories are ambiguous. Did we see something supernatural, or was there another explanation?
The films have a dream-like quality. The dialogue is underwritten, and we are left to fill in the gaps. Lewton casually throws in quotations (we see them at the beginning and end of Cat People), and characters and situations that he has taken from high art – opera and literature. Coherence of plot structure takes second place to a certain mood or atmosphere.
Perhaps the best of the movie directors who worked for Val Lewton was Jacques Tourneur. A French immigrant, Tourneur had a gift for making decent movies out of mediocre material, and great movies out of good material. More than any of Lewton's directors, Tourneur brought a degree of coherence to Lewton's imaginative flights of fancy.
It is to the credit of 1940s audiences that they saw the merits of Cat People. Living in age where horror movies have become increasingly graphic and visceral, Cat People will only frustrate those who look for gore in a movie.
There is no schlock or cheap thrills, and the audience are left to fill in the gaps. The images are haunting, and the films show a different philosophy to horror to the one that is most prevalent today. Suspense is more important than shock. The terror is intended to lie at the back of the minds, and not in the pit of the stomach.
I wrote a fuller appreciation of Cat People on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2019/02/01/cat-people-1942/
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
08/17/23
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