SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Borgarkeri A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

calvinnme First off major SPOILER warning as I completely (almost) spoil the film.Boy (Kent Smith as Oliver) meets girl (Simone Simon as Irena). Except boy is one of the few men between 20 and 60 who is not in the military, and the girl has bizarre fantasies about being one of the "cat people" - people descended from a group of witches and warlocks in Europe that escaped the sword of King John when he came to cleanse their village of wickedness.Oliver and Irena eventually admit their love, and Oliver proposes marriage. Irena has doubts because of her feelings that there is evil in her, that she is one of the "cat people". Oliver poo poos such nonsense and basically says"Forget that cat people nonsense babe and marry me anyways, it will make no difference." But it does. Irena doesn't want to consummate the marriage. Oliver says no problem he'll wait. Irena goes to see a psychiatrist, Oliver says no problem he'll wait. Irena wrestles with her cat people identity problem until a few months later she tells Oliver she has decided to put the past behind her and be a real wife to him. Not so fast Oliver says. He now loves Alice, a girl at work and he wants a divorce.So Irena, a troubled soul to begin with, has a husband who thinks "Until death do you part" is just a saying people kick around at weddings and has completely overestimated his patience, while Alice, a woman who has said she was Irena's friend has been that shoulder Oliver can cry on at work until she steals his heart. Also, the psychiatrist has ulterior motives too as Tom Conway rips a page from his brother George Sanders' playbook.Last line of the film - Oliver saying "She never lied to us". Yep, but ALL of you - the doctor, Oliver, Alice - essentially lied to HER. I'd like to turn into a big cat and eat the three of them if I were in Irena's circumstances.Don't think I don't love this film - I do. It uses atmosphere and what you don't see where the 82 version just used cheesy sex scenes and lots of gore.

Charles Herold (cherold) My girlfriend and I have been watching Val Lewton movies, and so far this is her favorite, beating out Curse of the Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, and the very beatable Seventh Victim.For me, though, it's a bit too stiff and moves a bit too slow. It's an intriguing idea, and the use of shadows and sounds to create a sense of menace is ingenious, especially in the classic pool scene, but most of the movie is build up, and some indifferent acting makes the pre-thrill section of the movie rather unengaging. I would say it's worth watching, as what it does well it does very well, and there are some very clever moments, but I just can't love this the way my girlfriend does.

TheLittleSongbird Cat People is one of the horror genre's most influential films, it's one of the first psychological horrors or at least one of the first to play on the fears of the audience. But Cat People is more than just an influential film, it's also a great one and holds up terrifically well.It's very well made, with beautiful cinematography and great and effective use of shadows and shadowy lighting. The sets are also hauntingly sumptuous. Cat People has a haunting music score and a very intelligent script that has a good amount of tension as well as a bit of subtle wit. The story, and the atmosphere it has, is one of the main reasons why Cat People works so well, this is more than a monster/ghost feature, this is more a psychological horror that relies on suspense and playing on the audience's fear. Both of which Cat People does splendidly, the suspense in the best parts is positively nerve-shredding and the whole film has a constant eeriness that makes it creepy without resulting to cheap shocks, jump scares or gore. For me the two most effective scenes have always been with the pool and the walk through the park, the latter being justifiably famous and contains a very clever "false shock". It's beautifully directed by Jacques Tourneur, the characters are interesting and the acting is mostly solid if not the best, with Simone Simon being superb. Simon brings a sensuality, menace and poignancy to her role, that makes her presence chillingly mysterious but at times moving. Tom Conway does just fine too.If there is anything to criticise, Kent Smith is very stiff here. Other than that Cat People is great, both of its genre and as a film in general. 9/10 Bethany Cox

gretz-569-323863 Warning to you young people out there who say this movie is "boring": It is true that there's no blood. There's no on-screen killing, no teenage girls take their clothes off, and no chainsaws are involved.What Cat People does have, though, is understated suspense, a great '40s vibe, and a subtext about sexual arousal that is apparently lost on the current generation. (And a super-cute Siamese kitten!) Now, don't get me wrong: Cat People, for all its greatness, is still a B-movie, and the acting is wooden and the plot a bit suspect. Even in a courtroom, and even in the 1940s, "you may now kiss the bride" was part of the marriage ceremony. Did Oliver really NEVER try to kiss Irina before their wedding night? C'mon.But those are minor concerns, and they only occur to you if you're a movie critic (as we all are, at least for a moment, here), or if you've seen the movie 10 or 20 times, as I have.The swimming pool scene and the scene with the bus ("bus"becoming a cameraman's term for that kind of shot) are just classic. You don't want to miss them.