I’ve decided to subject myself to 31 days of horror films for the month of October. It will be a mix of rewatching stuff I haven’t seen in a while and brand new things. Day 15:

CAT PEOPLE (1982) – dir. Paul Schrader

I had never seen this film until this year when I gave it watch after John Heard died and I I was going through his filmography. I am a huge fan of the Jacques Tourneur original 1942 film and was always hesitant to give this one a watch. My only real connection was that David Bowie song he made for the film and I was okay with that for a long time. Turns out I am an idiot for holding out on this film for so long.

Paul Schrader does exactly what needs to be done when you remake a film. You do your own thing but honor the original through atmosphere and tone.  Both films are excellent and stand on their own but also compliment each other very nicely.

Nastassja Kinski plays Irena, a strange girl hoping to reconnect with her long lost brother Paul (Malcom McDowell) in New Orleans. She soon finds out her brother is a possessive weirdo who may also be a murderer. This all coincides with a bunch of killing from what appear to be a giant black leopard. Needless to say, these things all begin to tie together and you see why Irena’s brother is so possessive.

I don’t want to say too much but this movie really does deliver on its premise. Creepy, disgusting, and somehow sexy all at once. The special effects are wonderful and the soundtrack is a banger. Everyone in the film delivers on their parts and McDowell really ups his game as the creepy brother. All in all this one you should really seek out.