In the main this was dull and dated but it was worth a view for the stylish use of lighting to create a sense of terror.

nice movie

Although it kept my interest and I loved the atmosphere, I also found characters underdeveloped and unexplored to their full potential which left me with feeling of disappointment in the end. I would recommend it though. By the way, Dubrovna would be Russian family name sooner than Serbian, but I guess they couldn't use the Internet for research those days...

81.000

Owes its eeriness to Nicolas Musuraca's chiaroscuro photography and Simone Simon's offbeat screen presence; the suggestion of evil that lies in shadows and playful smirks works better than any actual monsters.

423

A superb B movie--atmospheric and suspenseful.

noirish, suspenseful, fascinating little movie

On paper this premise looks really, really lame. But Lewton/Tourneur pull it off with class and style. The unfolding of the plot, while slow, felt satisfying when all was said and done. There were a lot of really great scenes - the swimming pool, the dead bird, the climax. The direction is top notch, with some really interesting shot compositions and noir-ish lighting. Simone Simon is great as the mysterious girl with a feline family curse.

Fun and at times thrilling

#361

It's a B-movie premise treated with A-movie taste, Jacques Tourneur letting suggestion and imagination fulfill the film's inherent curiosities with noir atmospherics. How many great set pieces are there in this movie? Probably a metaphor for American xenophobia, wherein Simone Simon's spiritual crisis is thought to be nothing more than silly foreign superstition, until it's too late.

Quite spooky and creatively filmed. You can see why it was so influential.

Atmospheric, suspenseful and intelligent psychological thriller. The final minutes feel somewhat perfunctory (partly due to studio demands to show the "creature") but are still executed nearly as well as everything leading up to it.

An absolute masterclass of using shadows in film. The film does however suffer from a slight case of being a 'boring, good rationality against delusional and evil superstition' style of story which is irksome, and somewhat goes against the fact Simone Simon's title character is portrayed sympathetically and that the character (and her onscreen charisma) is far more compelling than the other actors.

This movie is silly. Horrible acting and the love connection between Irina and Oliver is laughable. Thankfully it's short so I didn't have to wait too long for it to end.

More of a psychological character study than a typical B-movie horror. Tourneur's restraint as a director - or maybe the limitations imposed on him by the budget - allows him to build tension, but also to develop themes like marital dysfunction, Irina's loneliness, and the role of superstition. My only real niggle is that the ending takes away some of the ambiguity that was building until then, but it's still a good film.

Seriously underrated noir-esque flick from the 40s, most likely forgotten due to all the classic UMM's released during the period. The premise is admittedly a bit silly and it's generally hard to take seriously but the cinematography, mood and atmosphere are so well done and the tension is the main focus, rather than cheap scares. The bus scene is fantastic and actually quite influential, creating the formula for what we know today as the jump scare. Simone Simon is fantastic/gorgeous.

If nothing else, wonderfully atmospheric. That "chase" scene at night, with Jane Randolph (who rocks the hell out of a one-piece later on) looking over her shoulder to the dark street behind her, is killer. Tourneur deftly avoids the limits of the era and manages to imply instead of show; this movie hides its monster longer than just about any other. Its relationships aren't terribly convincing, but oh well.

A slow first half gives way to a masterclass in film suspense in the second half.

"Cat People" builds tension with the mere suggestion of horror. It's a formula that has existed to this day, with varying results.

the actual chase scenes are phenomenal, but they're about 3 minutes of the entire film, the rest being poorly written, poorly acted filler. if it had a little more budget maybe it could have been great, but tourneur only really gets to show off for a fraction of it

I didn't care for it as much on a second viewing but I still enjoy its atmosphere.

# 499

A tense entertaining film that relies primarily on atmosphere and succeeds admirably. Simone Simon is perfectly cast, giving off a mysterious sensual but menacing air that makes the film very intense. The use of light and shadows is really good and much more effective than any explicit horror could ever be.