Cat People

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Cat People

1942

1h 13m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

72 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a New York City–based fashion designer who hails from Serbia, begins a romance with marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). After the couple gets married, Oliver becomes concerned about Irena's notion that she is cursed and may transform into a large cat in the heat of passion. Confiding in his beautiful assistant, Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), about his marital issues, Oliver unwittingly triggers Irena's curse, with tragic results.

Critics Consensus

Influential noir director Jacques Tourneau infused this sexy, moody horror film with some sly commentary about the psychology and the taboos of desire.

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Mildred Martin

Philadelphia Inquirer

12/30/2020

A weird little chiller called Cat People... is calculated to frighten you out of your wits and make you think twice before trusting anyone who arouses a feline's instinctive dislike.

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Len G. Shaw

Detroit Free Press

12/30/2020

Simone makes her way through his combination of phantasy and reality, and comes off creditably in a part that calls for emotional repression.

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Mae Tinée

Chicago Tribune

12/30/2020

Photography and settings are effective, and the naturalness of the dialog issuing from such a murk of the fantastic is very impressive.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 13

4/4

Even with challenges from (among others) Psycho and The Wolf Man, it’s likely that 1942’s Cat People is my all-time favorite horror film. It's a masterpiece of the genre.

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Peter Bell

Vague Visages

06/22/2023

Director Tourneur utilizes the rich imagery of the King John legend and the Cat People throughout the film.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

12/06/2022

4/5

It's a classic for a reason.

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Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo Dec 26

Although handsomely filmed, ultimately plays out pretty mild. Simon and Randolph were good. Maybe more jump of gnarling?

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Isaiah Y

@zayman2 Oct 22

Worthwhile Horror Flick

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Christian K

@ckacar Oct 8

A funny setup, this woman can't have sex cause it turns her into a cat that kills people.

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That boi C

@RT94044319 Sep 27

great movie! the oliver dude pisses me off a bit i felt like he did irena pretty dirty to get with that basic bih, anyways amazing film, very melancholy, val lewton is awesome, highly recommended

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Aug 13

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas de terror são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, e tem uma cena específica dela pensando estar sendo perseguida e daí chega o ônibus assustando ela, essa cena está na lista das top 100 maiores cenas assustadoras do mundo, essa lista pode ver no wikipedia como (The 100 Scariest Movie Moments).

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Lau S

@LaurainSilentill Jul 29

I love this horror movie! Damn great!

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Jacques Tourneur

Director

Simone Simon

Irena Dubrovna Reed

Kent Smith

Oliver Reed

Tom Conway

Dr. Louis Judd

Jane Randolph

Alice Moore

Jack Holt

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Synopsis

Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a New York City–based fashion designer who hails from Serbia, begins a romance with marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). After the couple gets married, Oliver becomes concerned about Irena's notion that she is cursed and may transform into a large cat in the heat of passion. Confiding in his beautiful assistant, Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), about his marital issues, Oliver unwittingly triggers Irena's curse, with tragic results.

Director: Jacques Tourneur
Producer: Val Lewton
Screenwriter: DeWitt Bodeen
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 6, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 17, 2016
Runtime: 1h 13m

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