Movies-TV

Erotically charged remake of the Val Lewton classic.

Very different remake from the original Val Lewton film of 1942 that stressed suggestion over graphic Horror. This remake is basically a re-imagining and with an infinitely higher libido. While not the Horror classic that the original was, this is still highly reccomended as one of the most intelligently handled of all of 80s Horror films.

The plot tells the story of a sexy young woman named Irena(Nastassja Kinski) who travels to the South to see her brother(Malcolm Mcdowell) and discover a secret about her family. It turns out that she is derived from a race of "Cat people", a group of shape-shifters who can only pro-create with there own kind, otherwise if they engage in sex with a human they change into a Black panther!
Problems ensue when Irena falls for a young Zookeeper(John Heard) and her brother makes advances on her....

The film is really a Thriller about sexual repression and it's consequences, a popular topic in the Classic Horror film. Kinski is perfect in the role, appearing both virginal and highly sexual. Her performance is first rate and is one of the sexiest in the Horror film. With her lithe body, green eyes and dark hair she makes quite an attractive image. This is made more evident by her many nude scenes in the movie,among the sexiest in film history. Kinski's nude stroll through the forest at night is both artistic and highly sexy to boot. And that infamous "Bondage" scene at the end of the film is one of the screen's classic sex scenes.

The rest of the cast are very adequate including under-used actor, John Heard as Kinski's love interest. Annette O Toole as the estranged girlfriend of Heard's character(who gets to do a topless swim echoing the 1942 "pool" scene from the original). And Mcdowell is both creepy and sympathetic in the role of Kinski's brother.

Schrader's direction is first rate and surreal with a nice emphasis on mood and atmosphere. This is highlighted by a great score by Giorrgio Moroder, whose theme is fittingly erotic and mysterious. The locations are wonderful and become there own character under the skilled eye of the director.

The film conforms to some typical 80s Horror film conventions with some effectively gory sequences supervised by make up artist, Tom Burman. These include several torn apart bodies. The image of Ed Begley Jr. getting his arm clawed off by a panther and the transformations of people into cats. This was a big thing in the early 80s, what with the success of films like "An American Werewolf in London(1981)" and "The Howling(1980)". Transformation effects got better and better, reaching a peak in two remakes with "The Thing(1982)" and "The Fly(1986)". This one's effects though are still first rate and disgusting. It certainly is shocking to see the perfectly formed Kinski transformed into a big ol' panther!

Certainly not a film for all tastes. This film should appeal to fans of erotically melded Horror and Thriller films and fans of the original curious to see it's remake. Of course, male film fans with a penchant for the female figure(um, isn't that most of us?) will want to own this to see the first rate nudity of Miss Kinski in her finest skin moment ever.(and possibly best performance of her career....possibly.)
(And more manly note about Kinski's figure: Get a load of this chick's backside. I mean alot of guys love to mention the ample backside of Ms. Kim Kardashian and her ilk, but man, get a load of Nastassja in this film! Whoa-man! Awesome! Now back to the review....)

The DVD features are plentiful including a mini-documentary on the film, behind the scenes footage, Theatrical Trailer and commentary by the director. The print is in great shape in a beautiful letterbox print, as well. It's great to see this film get such a first class treatment by Universal and fans will not be dissapointed.

P.S.
That David Bowie song, "Cat People' was alot better than expected. It actually works in the context of this film, beyond the obvious. Than again he was always good with mood and this was a natural.

"We can live together as mates."

Director Paul Schrader presents a "Cat People" for the 80's in what nowadays would probably be labeled a "re-imagining". Working from a screenplay by Alan Ormsby, he crafts a compelling story of myth, sexual awakening, and obsession. While the classic 1942 version of the story is revered for its power of suggestion, Schrader's movie leaves little to the imagination. It truly is a different "beast", but it has assets of its own.It's set in New Orleans, and virginal Irena Gallier (Nastassia Kinski) has just hooked up with long-lost brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell). Irena falls in love with zoo curator Oliver Yates (John Heard), but as will be explained, she and Paul are two of the title individuals, and if they have sex with anyone other than each other, it turns them into leopards and only by killing someone can they return to human form.New Orleans is the ideal setting for this twisted tale. It has such an atmosphere of its own that it adds greatly to the experience. More of an erotic fantasy with a strong European feel than horror (although there's a fair share of creepy and very gory moments), it plays up Kinski's exotic allure every chance it gets, having her parade around naked often during the second half. Giorgio Moroder's electronic score is haunting (as is the David Bowie song "Putting Out Fire (With Gasoline)", heard over the closing credits), and Ferdinando Scarfiotti lends so much visual style to the movie that Schrader actually campaigned to have him credited as co-director. The contributions by the legendary Albert Whitlock shouldn't be overlooked, though, as he's also an integral part of the movie's look. Those opening scenes are highly impressive. Tom Burman supplies the generally good makeup effects.Kinski is a fine choice for the lead as she projects both innocence and untapped sexuality, with sterling support by McDowell, Heard, Annette O'Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley Jr., and Scott Paulin. Other familiar faces include Frankie Faison (who is dubbed by Albert Hall), Lynn Lowry, John Larroquette, Marco St. John, and Ray Wise.This could easily be seen by some as excessive, indulgent trash, but for trash it's certainly artfully done, intriguing in terms of both story and style. It does make nods to the original movie - an encounter in a restaurant and especially an extended suspense sequence where O'Toole seems to be in jeopardy. But it puts its own 80's-era modern stamp on the basic premise and succeeds at what it does.8/10

Cat People

Long ago the ancestors of Irena and Paul Gallier(Nastassja Kinski & Malcolm McDowell)sacrificed their children to the leopards. The souls of the children grew inside the leopards until the leopards became human. They were gods then. They are an incestuous race and can only make love with their own..otherwise they transfer. Before becoming human again, they must kill.This is explained in a dream sequence to Irena because she is falling head-over-heels for Oliver(John Heard), the main man at a New Orleans zoo. His assistant is Alice(Annette O'Toole)and they have to tranquilize a leopard that has almost killed a hooker in one of those sleazy hotel rooms. That panther is actually Paul having succumbed to lust he must needs kill somehow. Unfortunately his wish comes true when Joe(Ed Begley Jr), another one of Oliver's assistants, gets his whole arm ripped out of the torso when he is trying to calm the cat down. Paul's sole desire is to mate with Irena so their torment will end regarding that change that occurs when one strays away from their own kind. But, Irena is so attracted to Oliver that Paul doesn't stand a chance. There in lies the conflict. Oliver deeply desires and wants Irena and vice versa, yet she is caught in an unfortunate situation thanks to her bloodline and heredity. If they partake in wanton sexual activity, she will turn and have to kill.I think the film looks great. Special thanks for the film's visual style goes to Ferdinando Scarfiotti. Director Paul Schrader said that if the powers-that-be would've allowed it he would've added Scarfiotti as co-director. His ideas behind the zoo lab(how it is set-up is quite original and unique..it really gives Schrader a chance to be creative with his camera and how he lenses Heard's zoologist walking throughout it)and the sandy landscape of the ancient sequences at the beginning where we see the leopard sacrificial ritual are stunning. Splashes of color and how Irena sees are flavorful to the eye.Though, despite how wooed I was with how it looked, I thought the story was a bit corny. It's quite lurid and sexually free. Kinski really gives herself over to the part and Schrader's camera hypnotically embraces her. She must expose her beautiful nude body frequently. Though, one might call the film unabashedly sleazy. I mean, I'm not about to complain regarding seeing Annette O'Toole's nice breasts, but one could make a pretty good argument that it was unnecessary. This film only has really one relation to the original film too many people tried to compare it to..the pool sequence where O'Toole's Alice is possibly threatened by Irena. The transformation sequence isn't too shabby if quick. What's funny(..this is how I felt anyway)was that the film feels so sophisticated it seems to come off less perverse than it really is.

The bad and the beautiful (cat) people!

This is the most bare-bones DVD I've seen so far. It has the movie in widescreen format and a chapter index, and that's it! Not even a trailer. The image and sound quality are pretty good, and the movie is an interesting remake of the 1942 Val Lewton classic, but this DVD version is not worth the money. If you haven't yet seen this erotic thriller, I recommend you rent the DVD or VHS tape, or buy the cheaper VHS version. One can only hope that this DVD is no longer available from the studio because they are reworking it to make a collectible DVD edition!

Paul Schrader's remake has the gorgeous 21 year old Nastassia Kinski as the troubled Irena, and she has several very nice nude scenes. Too many, in fact, according to her. She tried to get Schrader to cut some of them, but fortunately he didn't. And there is also the lovely Annette O'Toole, whose nude scene in the locker room is one of the highlights of the movie. And when the lights go out while she's alone in the swimming pool and she hears the growls of an unseen creature all around her--well, it's pretty spooky!

That scene and another, when the streetcar* stops in front of O'Toole with a loud cat-like snarl, are scary and reminiscent of the original moody and atmospheric film, where all was suggested but nothing was shown--everything was left to the imagination. That was not just art, though--it was mostly because of the minuscule budget Lewton had! Today everything is shown and nothing is left to the imagination--which is good, too. Times change, and so do movies!

* Electric streetcars in 1982 New Orleans? Even in the 1942 film, it was a bus! Nice shock, though, in both films!

Lett'n the cat out of the bag......

In the tradition of erotic 80's thrillers, "Cat People" stands out as a very unique and entertaining piece of work. Young, innocent, and virginal Irena (Nastassja Kinski) can barely remember her parents or brother. She knows they were circus performers and that is about it. Having been raised in orphanages her whole life, she is finally contacted by her long lost brother Paul(Malcolm McDowell ), who is now a priest living out in New Orleans. So... she packs it up and hightails out there to go live with him. What she begins to learn is that her brother is quite an oddball, and she herself is beginning to have feelings and connections that she doesn't quite understand. Ya see, Irena and Paul are from actual feline ancestors, and they themselves turn into panthers upon heightened sexual arousal. Once they turn, they are kitty killing machines-who don't turn back to normal until after they have made a kill. AWESOME! Not only that, but they are incestuous-and they only way for them to function as humans, have a healthy sex life and pro create is to of only sleep with one another. HA HA! As Irena begins to establish a life and job for herself, her family demons began to take shape in many bizarre ways. As the truth unfolds, Irena is left with a series of perplexing dilemmas & questions:1. Should she believe and join her brother? 2. Should she continue to develop a relationship with that nice man at the zoo she works at? 3. Should she give in to her daily animal instincts? 4. Should she remain a virgin out of fear of killing?"Cat People" has a purrrrfect blend of nudity, blood, & erotic/ sexual images. I can remember how this movie would always get me fired up as a young lad, and after having just revisited the film some 20 years later-it still holds the power to mesmerize and entertain. And folks to me.....that's what makes for a good time in front of the TV. Recommended!

Cat People (1982)-Loved it!

Cat People (1982) was easily a four star film starring Nastassia Kinski. I first learned about this movie some years after it was released by reading an article in Cinefantastique magazine which praised the movie and its special effects. It had great atmosphere, a good cast, really great special effects and a musical score that worked at setting the mood. It was a remake that did credit to the original.

a magnificent film

The movie is awesome. The screenplay is original. directing is superb.I love the gory scenes, chemistry between characters, Natassja Kinski's personality and acting. Natassja Kinski never looked more beautiful in this movie.A pity a sequel doesn't come.

Nastassja Kinski in a feline fantasy

This '80s film is more of a love story than a horror although it does have a few fairly horrific scenes in, in particular a rather graphic scene where a zoo worker has his arm ripped off by a black panther.The film opens in the prehistoric past with a girl being tied to a tree and left for a big cat... the action then moves the the present day where a beautiful young woman called Irena arrives in New Orleans and is met by her brother Paul who she hasn't seen since their parents died when she was a child. The next night her brother disappears around the same time a panther mauls a prostitute in a seedy hotel, this creature is captured and taken to the local zoo.Irena goes looking for her brother but can't find him so decides to do some sightseeing and ends up at the zoo where she seems drawn the the recently captured panther which she starts to sketch, in fact she is so engrossed that she is still there an hour after the zoo closes. When Oliver, the zoo's curator, finds her there they end up going out for a meal of oysters together and she is offered a job in the zoo's gift shop. Her first day at work doesn't end well though as she witnesses one of the zoo workers being killed by the panther, and when Oliver arrives to put it down the panther has escaped. Once home she finds that her brother has returned, he explains their families strange heritage; that they are part panther and whenever they have sex with a person they become a panther and can't be human again until they have killed a person. He also tells her that the only exception to this is if they do it with another of their kind and as they are the last too that means incest. Irena is horrified at this and flees, bumping in to the police outside, they search the house's basement and find human remains they assume that Paul has been feeding people to a big cat rather than being the cat himself.Oliver takes Irena to his house out of town which can only be reached by boat, here she starts to feel more in touch with nature and goes out at night, removes her nightdress and prowls around naked till she finds and kills a rabbit. On their return to the city her brother kills again, this time however he is trapped as a panther and killed, when Oliver performs a post mortem on the creature something rather strange occurs.When Oliver's colleague Alice is out running she has a feeling she is being followed. Later when she goes for a swim she hears a strange growling and is scared when Irena enters as if she somehow knows she is dangerous. Later Irena sleeps with Oliver and as predicted becomes a panther in an impressive transformation scene. She does not however kill him, instead she leaves him but she is cornered by the police on a bridge, when Oliver arrives she jumps from the bridge into the river. Oliver heads back to his river side home and finds a friend dead in a tree and Irena at the house. I won't spoil the actual ending although.The film is pretty good and the effects have aged well, it is good to see such scenes as the transformation done with makeup and prosthetics that than CGI. There is a fair amount of nudity in the film, some scenes like Irena walking around naked can be justified as it shows she is behaving in an animal rather than a human way others such as Alice swimming topless seem to be there just to show off Annette O'Toole's admittedly nice breasts.The acting was good, especially Nastassja Kinski's portrayal of Irena which was positivity feline and switched from an innocent to a predator believable through the course of the film. While this film is by no means perfect I'd certainly recommend it to fans of "creature features" or Nastassja Kinski.

Two thumbs up

this is the movie where you really wanted to see Natassja Kinski naked.

Natassja Kinski has been an excellent choice to play the character Irene. Her extraordinary acting talent and beauty was able to grace a near-awful and too-gory movie. I really loved her with her short black hair.

Strange, Haunting, Erotic and Brilliant.

The sex scenes and violence may look tame by todays standards, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the film. The "cat people" is different kind of horror movie. Think of "an American werewolf in London" without the comedy. It is engoyable from the opening credits to the end credits. (both are rolling while David Bowie's fitting tital song plays)

Cat People NOt Purrr-fect

After not seeing the film for many years, I was excited to finally watch this movie on DVD. The movie is plenty erotic and eerie, but very little substance, action, suspense and gore. The best feature I can say about this movie is its musical score and title song. There are a few moments of chills, but a lot of scenes that are confusing. Quite frankly I was bored to pieces.

Cat People

The ending is not the best, but the performances are stellar. I can't stay away from this one, very edgy at times. Almost as good as the original. Recommended.

Sensational horrormovie

It is indeed rare to come across such a sensational movie in any genre. Things just gel in this very different movie that doesn't really fit into any genre although considered horror. It is a feast for the eyes from the opening shot and onwards, the opening dream sequence is beautifully crafted with great matte work by Albert Whitlock, but prehaps the greatest sensation of this movie is Nastassja Kinski as vulnerable young girl with a terrible predator lurking under the skin. The Giogio Moroder score is powerful and underscores the atmosphere of terror and eroticism. I hadn't seen the original by the time I saw this, so I could see it without prejurdice, which is the best, as the original was so different. It is cult material, beware of cut videoreleases, see it on a big screen if you can, it's a powerful experience. 10/10

Clunky remake of a classic

For those who don't believe in vampires, all one needs to do is look at the movie Cat People. At one time, this had been a great 1940s horror movie, but someone (or something!) got a hold of it and drained all the life from it. The lifeless remnants of the original movie became this 1980s version, which seems to believe that all the classic version was missing was some blood and some nudity.

After a nice-looking but rather slow prologue involving women mating with panthers in the distant past, we come to the present where Irena (played by Natasha Kinski) is arriving in New Orleans from some foreign land. There she meets her brother, played by Malcolm McDowell, whose interest in her goes well beyond sibling love.

Both are under a curse of sorts that forces them to turn into cats if they are sexually aroused (although for Irena, it doesn't occur until she actually completes the act). In cat-form, they must kill before they can be restored to humanity. Of course, soon enough, Irena falls in love and must deal with her curse.

Where the original movie succeeded with implied horror - things lurking in the shadows and similar suspense-generating effects - this movie puts it all out in front of the viewer. Comparisons with the original aren't really necessary, however: this dud fails on its own merits, especially from the greatest of all crimes a horror movie can suffer from: it's often boring. Add to that a distinctly '80s style and soundtrack, and this movie also looks extremely dated. Stick with the original.

Erotic suspense

Cat People is an old fashion sexual thriller. The reason Cat People is an erotic movie is because it's not laced with over done and gratuitous sex scenes like most movies. Instead, it has that dog whistle, under current of sexuality ala 1950s Lana Turner and Elizabeth Taylor - the best kind.


Cat People is the story of a young woman raised in foster care, Irena (Natash Kinski, who's travelled to ominous New Orleans to meet her long lost brother (Malcom McDowell). Poor Irena's joy soon turns to a nightmare as it becomes evident that there is more to her brother, and his motives, than meets the eye. Irena's brother's impatience, after years of pent up desire and frustration, leads him to abrubptly demand of Irena that she not only confront her inner panther but embrace it. Her brother warns Irena that if she does not live by the laws of thier "kind" she will kill - and kill the ones she loves - "Let me spare you that horror. . . . ". Among the laws she must live by is to mate as brother and sister the way her parents did. Irena is not happy to find out her long held suspicions and worst fears about herself are true and she rejects both her true self and her brother. But, as her brother warned, Irena finds out the hard way that she she cannot disrespect the panther within.


This is a great fun movie. It's perfect for a cold, rainy, fall Friday evening and a six pack after a long work week. It's a good date movie too. It's not laced with gratuitous, pointless sex. Cat People, however, will leave you with longings of rope and bed posts.

Cat People?

I first saw this movie when it released in theaters. The movie made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. The storyline is very good and the camara work is excellant! This is a movie that I watch almost every time it comes on. The only negative (why I did not give five stars) is that the movie did not delve deeper into how the Cat People came to be. I would have liked to have seen more about where they came from. Otherwise I highly recommend this movie.

Needless remake or slick fun?

Paul Schrader's remake of the Jacques Tourneur classic is not unnecessarily gory...it's just plain unnecessary. That said, it's still fun. Nastassia Kinski, sporting short hair and a long pout, arrives in New Orleans to reunite with her brother and soon realizes that she and he are VERY different from everyone else. The fact that the brother is played by Malcolm McDowell will clue the audience in that something odd is going on. Kinski and McDowell have great chemistry, but few scenes together. John Heard plays the zoologist in love with Kinski, much to McDowell's chagrin. Annette O'Toole, Ruby Dee and Ed Begley Jr. are in it too. Begley has a particularly nasty encounter with McDowell and Dee speaks with some sort of incomprehensible Cajun accent. It's not great, but the glossy production values help a lot as does Giorgio Moroder's synth score, complete with a very slick theme song sung by David Bowie.

oops, wrong movie

I was wanting the older version of this movie and bought this by mistake. I was, quite frankly, shocked at what was in this movie, with the excessive nudity, language etc; it went into the trash. The only positive thing is the musical score. I wanted to give it a minus 0 rating.

Kevinnn!!!

What the F*** Mr. McCallaster!? Dude, you knew she was a cat, so why have hit that? WHY WOULD YOU HAVE HIT IT MR. M!? KEVINNN!!! I rate this movie one out of Ten, because I was actually interested in watching the movie for about one tenth of the total running time, which was way too long. I'll admit, the first thirty or forty seconds in were a bit intriguing, but thats when the title cards ended and the cat people emerged from their secret underground lair. They lived in the ground or tree or something... right? There was a tree, with a ribbon or something. S***, what the F***, it's just so bad. Avoid at all costs.The gratuitous nudity is just the tip of the iceberg. I think that biggest problem I have with the movie is that I can't even say the title, let alone refer to it in the presence of the SawFanatic1, and another friend of mine, who would like to remain anonymous, rather than be associated with this C class, low budget soft core feline erotica. Seriously, now when I'm with SawF. and Anonymous I have to say "C.P." instead of "Cat People." For example, no one wants to see a naked cat. It's just not cool. And Mr. McCallaster, keep it in your pants you h***** freak. You can do better than that. Let's all learn from our mistakes and avoid the remake of Cat People. And inter-species relations.

Stylish Directing Saves A Flat Story

The plot: A beautiful 20 year old orphan Nastassja Kinski is reunited with her brother, Malcolm McDowell in New Orleans. Without explanation McDowell disappears and is sought for cannibalizing prostitutes.

Kinski ends up falling for zoologist John Heard whom handles large cats at the local zoo. Predictably the zoo's jaguar turns out to in fact be McDowell who escapes and reveals to Kinski how their family is cursed to turn into jaguars every time they make love. Only the act of murdering a human can return them to form. Hence the only safe sex is inbreeding. While McDowell kills without conscious the virgin Kinski despises her affliction.

This remake of the 1942 cult classic could should have come up with better title.

While the plot is bland the directing keeps it alive, similar to Michael Mann's `Manhunter' the New Orleans setting is used to its full effect as well as David Bowie's haunting score.

The opening sequence is noting short of awesome. In a haze of red we see an ancient civilization sacrificing children to jaguars by tying them to a grotesque tree without fruit or leaves. It is unclear if they are to be eaten by or mate with the jaguars. But this sacrifice creates the cat people.

I was astounded that this opening sequence of a mystical tree was in fact plagiarized by the film `The Exorcism of Emily Rose.'


A fair warning about `Cat People', everyone gets naked. Yes, everyone. While nudity is nothing new to McDowell and Kinski, John Heard and even Annette O'Toole's exposure is shocking. I wonder why O'Toole never used her assets to further her career.