Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

kevin olzak 1973's "The Cat Creature" marked the first of two collaborations between producer Douglas Cramer with director Curtis Harrington and screenwriter Robert Bloch, followed a year later by "The Dead Don't Die," each a rather obvious homage to old style Hollywood horror of the subtle kind, perfect TV fodder for the 70s. Generally regarded as the better of the pair, this item gathers together a fine cast of veterans, mostly in small roles, in an all too predictable mystery plot headlined by Stuart Whitman's lieutenant and David Hedison's archaeologist. We first encounter Kent Smith, from the 1942 "Cat People," as the appraiser who becomes the first victim of the Egyptian mummy, which assumes human form after draining the blood of its prey, a vampire that prowls the night as a black cat and not a bat. The list of casualties wipes out nearly the entire cast, each one in possession of the mysterious golden amulet that has kept the mummy's spirit from returning to life over the centuries. Keye Luke plays the thief who pawns off the amulet, Gale Sondergaard the curio dealer who dabbles in the occult when not fencing stolen goods, Milton Parsons the coroner who reveals how each corpse has been completely drained of blood, John Abbott (the title role in 1945's "The Vampire's Ghost") the scholar who discovers the translation on the coveted amulet. Peter Lorre Jr. was no relation to the late Peter Lorre, just a pretender named Eugene Weingand who fortunately went on to complete obscurity. In the central role, Meredith Baxter never seems totally comfortable, a replacement for both Diahann Carroll and Patty Duke. As the Hotel Clerk who is present for the death screams of the unfortunate thief, John Carradine is as always a delight, paired with a dwarf prostitute because the censors wouldn't allow Gale Sondergaard's character to be a lesbian!

udar55 An old attorney is in charge of cataloging a wealthy estate and is later found murdered near a mummy sarcophagus. On the case is Lt. Marco (Stuart Whitman), who quickly finds out that an amulet of Baast, the Egyptian cat goddess, was stolen. He enlists the help of Prof. Roger Edmonds (David Hedison) and they soon find themselves centering on an occult shop run by Hester Black (Gale Sondergaard) and her new assistant Rena Carter (Meredith Baxter). She admits a thief (Keye Luke) came by to try and sell the amulet, but she turned him away as she is out of the fencing game. Meanwhile, folks all over L.A. are being murdered with cat-like scratches found on their bodies. This ABC Movie of the Week was a return to TV for director Curtis Harrington (after his theatrical features WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?, WHOEVER SLEW AUNITE ROO? and THE KILLING KIND). He definitely was looking to get into the Val Lewton mold a la THE CAT PEOPLE and it is pretty successful. The script by Robert Bloch moves quickly and there are some great performances in here. The best is Sondergaard as Hester Black, which might be one of the greatest names ever. Another interesting thing is Harrington, who was gay, fills the film with subtle gay moments (like Hester always asking her younger co-workers out for dinner and getting rejected).

JKearse This is one of those movies that you really enjoy when you watch it, but you have to say it is quite bad. Meredith Baxter is certainly a huge reason why this thing works; she takes her part so seriously. And good for her, because other actors might not shine so much in such a campy film. This is was one of those typical seventies TV movies found on ABC in the seventies. It was shot on a small budget, and it shows a little. It really is amazing that these old ABC TV movies were so effective, given their small budgets. It also stars Gale Sondergaard, Hester Black, John Carradine, and Keye Luke. But it's Meredith Baxter that is most memorable. If you like this one try "Bad Ronald."

Estelle Edwards This was another ABC television movie. Great modern take on the old Egyptian mummy curse idea. When the movie opens, the appraiser is going through the late millionaire's collection of Egyptian artefacts, some of which might have been smuggled. We are left to assume that the collector simply died from natural causes. We don't see the collector in the movie at all. We're given a quick overview of why the appraiser is there and that's it.The murders don't start until a thief steals the heavy gold amulet from around the mummy's neck, if you remember. Said mummy was a priestess from the cult of Bast, the cat goddess, and the amulet was meant to imprison the spirit of the priestess.Elements of the old detective story are blended with the supernatural in this tale. We are kept guessing until the very end as to the identity of the mysterious killer.Great special effects in the scene when David Hedison finally has the showdown with the cat creature!