Night 15: ‘Cat People’ (1942)

No, this is not a film about us, crazy cat people. The story revolves around an ancient curse that haunts the young and beautiful Irena (Simone Simon), who marries Oliver (Kent Smith) despite the fears that keep them from being intimate.

However, her restraint will ultimately be more harmful than expected, as she unlocks the powerful, bloodthirsty drive that lives within her.

‘Cat People’ has the structure of any werewolf tale, yet, this time, it’s a woman who turns into a terrible human-eating creature. As expected, of course, her transformation is intrinsically linked to her own sexual desires, and in that sense there’s a lot of interesting subtext to be enjoyed.

The movie is heavy in clever little hints and symbolism –shown through really striking visuals- that let us know that the two leading women have drastically opposing views when it comes to their desires and bodies.

Such an outlandish plot could crumble easily at any moment. But the careful mise-en-scene and some really good performances, truly keep it afloat.

Unfortunately, the rather abrupt ending is a little hard to swallow, yet ‘Cat People’ is a fun watch nevertheless.

Grade: 6/10. Get ready! This one has claws.

Scare Factor: little. Some tense scenes.

Gore/violence: little.

Nudity/sexual situations: none.

Next: ‘Black Sunday’ (1960)