Cat People (1982)

Director: Paul Schrader

Starring: Nastassja Kinski, John Heard, Malcolm McDowell

A young woman’s sexual awakening brings horror when she discovers her urges transform her into a monstrous black leopard.

‘Cat People’ is a remake of the 1942 film of the same name. This new version is more sensual, with quite a bit of nudity.

The film revolves around a brother and sister who comes from a family that turn into black leopards, much like werewolves do. Irena (Kinski) haven’t seen her brother, Paul, since they were four, and reconnects with him. From the onset it is clear there’s something sinister about Paul. He then disappears for a bit, but we soon learn why.

Irena meets Oliver (Johan Heard) at the local zoo and they eventually become romantically involved. I rather enjoyed their relationship, and it felt realistic and not forced for the sake of having a romantic interest. The film features characters I cared about, and good performances by a seasoned cast.

‘Cat People’ has an ‘American Werewolf in London’ feel to it. It is in the tradition of classic 80s horror movies with substance, as opposed to slasher. Apart from being a drama, and a horror, this is also a love story, hence successfully combining different genre elements into an effective mystery horror thriller. There’s also a few very effective jump scares. Those who enjoy full frontal female nudity, will love this, seeing Kinski in all her natural glory.

The practical effects were incredibly realistic. At least also they used real animals for most of the shots, instead of CGI creations like in today’s movies. An interesting fact, is that they used cougars – dyed black – for the leopard scenes.

Would I watch it again? Yes.