Directed by Jacques Tourneur, the original 1942 version of Cat People is a classic in the horror genre which is hugely underrated. It is a film which cleverly combines shadows and sharp shots to create an unnerving cinematic experience.
The film focuses on the unsteady relationship of Irena, a Siberian-born fashion designer, and her husband Oliver. Irena is terrified that an ancient curse will cause her to turn into a deadly panther if is she becomes aroused, resulting in their marriage to suffer severely. Alarmed and rather baffled by a theory she is completely convinced is true, Oliver sends her to see the psychiatrist Dr. Judd. After attending her first meeting, Irena returns home to see Oliver and his friend Alice from work rather close to one another. From this moment onwards, Irena becomes fixated on destroying Alice, whom she believes to be the cause of ruining her future with Oliver.
Simone Simon plays the mysterious Irena, and turns in an incredible performance as she begins to lose her sanity. She is convincing throughout the entire film but the highlight of her performance is her portrayal of Irena as she becomes increasingly paranoid and closer to unleashing the lethal panther within.
It is clear that the lighting of this black and white film is crucial to creating a tense atmosphere, along with some sharply cut scenes. Tourneur uses shadows to create the horror in this movie as it all forms an illusion of whether Irena is actually a panther or not. The scenes in the swimming pool are one example of this technique being used as you hear crashing waves and a series of shadows around the pool as Irena supposedly attacks Alice as a panther. Tourneur builds on the idea of being frightened when walking home alone with the use of lighting along a dimly lit street as Alice fears Irena is stalking her. It is an incredibly simple idea that will stay with us after leaving the cinema as the terror built up in this scene with quickening footsteps, is something we all fear on a dark night walking home alone.
This film is guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seats throughout due to the drama created from the psychological nature of the plot. Cat People is a cult classic which is due significantly to the use of lighting and editing. It imprints the idea of there being someone or something following you when there really isn't. Or is there? Together, this shows that an effective horror movie does not just have to involve gore, but rather terrorize our minds rather than our eyes.
