Cat People (1982)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

CAT PEOPLE is a very well directed - by TAXI DRIVER scribe Paul Schrader, no less - and stylish reworking of the Val Lewton 1940s classic of the same name and actually superior to my mind. It stars an alluring Natassja Kinski and a typically weird Malcolm McDowell playing a brother and sister who are cursed to transform into big cats during sex. It's an outrageous premise for sure, but one that's handled with surprisingly sensitivity by Schrader who makes the story all his own. This is a film that looks and feels good, keeping the story moving along with unexpected twists, some shocking moments of horror, and a general erotic atmosphere. Kinski and McDowell excel as expected, while John Heard impresses in a non-comedic role. The use of special effects and real-life animals is neatly handled too. It's not quite as good as something iconic like An American Werewolf in London, but it gets close.

Immediately Giorgio Moroder's score captures you in the darkness with its sensual rhythms, then Schrader entices us into a labyrinthine journey of sex and death seen through the eyes of the dark & beautiful Irena (Kinski). Her brother Paul, played by a Malcom McDowell welcomes Irena to New Orleans ( a perfect location for this erotic & fetishistic tale ) dressed as a priest, this is their first 'reunion' since infancy & orphanage. Paul takes her home and introduces her to his housekeeper Female (played by the great Ruby Dee). Their joy is short lived, as Paul's incestuous overtures are rebuffed by an innocent Irena and his disappearance coincides with a visit by the police to investigate Paul's possible involvement in a 'ritualistic' murder involving a panther. Female is arrested as a possible accomplice to Paul's crimes. In jail, she advises Irena to 'not love' and 'pretend the world is what men believe it to be'. Irena is quickly taken in by Oliver ( John Heard ), curator of the New Orleans Zoo, after he startles her sketching a recently captured black panther. Irena settles into a life working at the zoo and begins a relationship with Oliver, much to the dismay of Alice ( Annette O'Toole ), ostensibly Oliver's love interest until Irena's arrival. Paul resurfaces after a tragic attack by the panther on a zoo keeper (played by Ed Begley, Jr.) in front of Irena, Alice & Oliver. Paul's presence is now menacing and his previous advances are now violent and threatening. He tells Irena that 'only she can save him': by being with him as they are like their parents- brother & sister and of an ancient and incestuous race, unable to mate with only their own kind, lest they transform-returning to human form only after killing. Schrader captures the dark, sensual and moody atmosphere of the New Orleans night with this tale of occult, sex, blood & lycanthropy.

Paul Schrader's version of Cat People is a movie that I've heard of, but never seen. After reading some of the reviews of the movie, I've decided to see on my own for the first time. I must say that I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of this movie because a lot of people who have seen it compared it to the original 1942 Val Lewton picture from RKO. Well, I was very impressed by this version of Cat People and I must say that it's a exceptionally well made, well acted psychological horror film.Irena, (Nastassja Kinski), arrives in New Orleans, visiting her brother, Paul, (Malcolm McDowell), for the first time. As the movie begins, Schrader sets up the movie very well. Hundreds of years ago, the feline group of mysterious people, called the Cat People, have the ability to change into a black leopard after mating. Unknowable to Irena, Paul starts to develop a incestuous feeling toward her as in one scene, which is, one of the best scenes in the movie, he stalks her while she sleeps in his house for the first time.Soon enough, Irena is given a job at the local zoo in New Orleans by Oliver Yates, (John Heard). Yates soon starts a relationship with Irena after he witnesses her watching a black leopard, roaming around its cage, milling for food. Irena doesn't tell Oliver about her family secret. Instead, the movie gets even better when Heard and Kinski start a relationship between the two while McDowell takes a turn of the worse, using his cat-like instinct to kill and prey on women, living in New Orleans. Almost some of Paul Schrader's films walk a tightrope between sexual tensions. He never back away from that particular theme in Cat People. Schrader, as you may know, written the screenplay for Taxi Driver and also directed two feature films, Hardcore, which shares some of the same elements in this film and American Gigolo. His films are quite daring, but nevertheless, interesting and engaging.Some people might look at this movie as a sleazy exploitation horror film. But, to the tell you the truth, it is not. This is a very good looking movie, with great cinematography, showcasing many colorful sets and sights in New Orleans. Some of the scenes are quite suspenseful, almost ranking up there with the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The imagery that is used in this movie are very well shot and photographed. One scene that sums it up at all up is when Kinski witnesses a leopard, tearing out a zookeeper's arm. What makes that scene work is that Schrader cuts that with a shot of a pool of blood, running through Kinski's shoes and into a drain in the floor of the zoo. That's very well done, indeed. You can almost feel the darkness and mystery of the picture itself, thanks to the superb music score by Giorgio Moroder.Nastassja Kinski, I think, steals the movie, away from John Heard and Malcolm McDowell. She is one of the most interesting and mysterious actresses I've ever seen. She provides the movie with a spice of eroticism that lights up the scenes. You can't talk your eyes off of her nor ignore her. She is really something in this movie. Unlike so many other female characters in horror movies, she gives Irena a mind of her own when she develops sexual feeling toward the two completely different men. That's very daring for a actress to do in the movies.Cat People is a very scary horror film that's very well made by Paul Schrader and also scored very effectively by Giorgio Moroder. An very good movie for adults to see. ★★★ 1/2 3 1/2 stars.

"Cat People" came out in 1982 and is a modern take on the 1942 version.There's something about this flick that makes it engrossing. It has style and pizazz. For instance, the flashback scenes of the ancient panther tribe doing rituals in an orange desert are surreal and captivating; the accompanying atmospheric music adds to the mood nicely.Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell are siblings cursed to become were-panthers if sexually aroused. The only way they can become human again is to kill a fellow human. The idea is absurd and fantastical, but "Cat People" takes the subject absolutely seriously. John Heard plays a zoo manager who falls in love with Kinski, while Annette O'Toole plays the third person in the romantic triangle.The casting is great. Both Kinski and McDowell are properly cat-like. McDowell has a fittingly weird and diabolic air about him. John Heard is fine and O'Toole is simply gorgeous.If nudity offends you then you might want to skip this one as many of the characters are shown totally nude or near nude.Kinski is indeed quite attractive (be on the lookout for the scene of her fishing with Heard in hot pants and wader boots) but I'm a bit perplexed by Heard's decision to drop O'Toole for Kinski. Check it out and see if you share my confusion; pay particular attention to the pool sequence.One thing I don't get about the story is that it is established that cat people can only safely have sex with other cat people; therefore because Kinski and McDowell are the only cat people left they can only have sexual relations with each other (shudder). The problem is that it is revealed that other cat people DO exist as Kinski obviously runs into another cat person in the diner. If there are other cat people out there why would McDowell insist on having incestuous relations with his sister? Is he just a sick bastage or am I giving this too much thought?Keep in mind that this is indeed a horror flick and it can be pretty brutal at times.GRADE: B+ or A-