Cat People (1982)

A welcome difference for Horror fans.
This movie is great for Nastassja Kinski fans,
and it is good for Horror fans as a welcome respite from the usual Vampires and Werewolfs. Not to mention good for cat people as opposed to dog people!

Erotic horror film.
This was a very strange horror film, it was a re-make of the original film made in the 30's and it was directed by Paul Schrader. I haven't seen the original cause I must admit it doesn't look that interesting, this film however looks alot better since it has a ton of nudity, blood and gore in it and it has a very erotic atmosphere. The weird opening sequence has a dream like quality its a flashback where we get to see an ancient tribe of people who are tying up a young woman in a sacrifice for the leopards this scene in particular has some nice visuals taking place in the dessert its abit illogical but then again who cares, the sex scenes weren't that explicit but they were nice and kinky there was also some nice death scenes as well. The music which was done by David Bowie was very good and memorable and adds alot to the atmosphere along with the eerie synthesized score by Giorgio Moridor it fits perfectly. The film also has some nice ideas about sexuality and how the lead character (Natasha Kinski) starts to experience a weird transformation into a leopard everytime she gets aroused its like shes unaware of her true nature shes also an innocent girl thats still a virgin but is about to go through alot of changes, some scenes were a bit perverse especially with that ending which is supposed to be shocking watching Natasha naked and very bloody is quite a sight ;-). The film starts off with Irina (Natasha Kinski) who just arrived in New Orleans to be reunited with her long lost brother Paul played by Malcom Mcdowell, she grew up in foster homes after her parents were killed and hasn't seen her brother in years she says that shes been dreaming of this moment when she was a little child.

Irena is thrilled to have family again until her brother starts making sexual advances towards her, this off course doesn't go to well with Irena who later discovers that she is the last of her race of cat people who are able to shape shift and it seems more difficult since she has fallen in love with Oliver played by John Heard who is a curator at the local zoo. The film might sound cheesy but its not it was done with a serious tone even though some parts were bad I still managed to like this and it has some nice gore scenes in it including a part where one of the zoo keepers gets his arm ripped off by the leopard that was kept in a cage it looked very nice and sick. If They have sex with humans they revert to leopard form and stay that way until they have the need to kill someone In order for these cat people to stay in human form, this was a really good early 80's horror film the only problem was that it was abit too long at two hours, the effects were brilliant and they were ahead of its time since they didn't use any CGI fx and they looked convincing and not outdated. Anyway I highly recommend this great horror film and two thumbs up.

Very good film, but a little explicit
Back when it was in the theater around 1982, and I was a mere 15 year old, I happened to find myself entering a very "R" rated film instead of the movie I bought a ticket for, and since, have been in love with Kinski.

Don't be put off on the films date of release, though. "The Exorcist" was a 1973 release, yet the effects and theme are still very unsettling, and no one has replicated the intensity of that film since. Neither have they with "Cat People," and still all the animal morphing and gore seem super-realistic, even though there was no computer aided effects, as they didn't exist.

This film is a remake, but a very GOOD remake, of an old film that simply 'suggested' the reason for the animalistic transformations. With Kinsky at the helm, and her non-issue with full frontal nudity, the viewer is able to see the dynamics of a woman struggling with her sexuality, the unresolved issues surrounding her brother and family, and her deflowering, only to find herself transformed into a black panther.

I was surprised the film had received an 'R' rating, to be honest. At the time, I would have thought pseudo-fellatio, female genitalia, breasts, a little bit of S & M, and very graphic dismemberments would warrent an 'X,' but somehow the director, Paul Schrader, passed with an 'R.' The film, itself, is truly about uninhibited sexual expression, likening it to that of an animal. At times it may appear pornographic, but quickly, something horrific happens, so there isn't a margin for the viewer to find anything arousing, as it is clearly delineated within the boundries of cinema. While it may vascillate into what appears like porn, the reason this film isn't a pornographic piece is that it has no intention of titillating the viewer. Every explicit sex act on screen is followed immediately by dismantlement.

Siskel and Ebert both gave it a "thumbs-up" back then, and I figured if they found it fascinating, I'd feel the same.

And I did.