Cat People
1982
Paul Schrader
Irena (Nastassja Kiniski), orphaned as a child, travels to New Orleans to meet her recently discovered brother, Paul (Malcom McDowell). There’s something predatory about Paul, and his inclinations towards Irena are suspect at best. A prostitute is killed by a black panther in a hotel room, and soon after Paul vanishes. The cat is captured. Lost in the city, Irena comes up a zoo were she is fascinated by a black panther. The zoo’s curator, Oliver (John Heard) takes a liking to Irena. The panther kills a zookeeper, and soon Paul reappears. He reveals to Irena the truth; they are were-creatures, to mate with a human causes them to transform and the only way to be human again is to kill.
Graphic where the original is suggestive, the 1982 Cat People is a good example of how to do a remake correctly. It uses the barest outline and a few character names from the 1942 film, but sets out to tell its own story in its own way. The look of the film is gorgeous, from the grungy streets of New Orleans to the deliberately fantastical sands of the land where the Cat People come from, Cat People is visually stunning. The music is a sleek electronic score by Giorgio Moroder which compliments the sleekness of the cats in question. A few gore scenes aside, this more of an erotic thriller than a straight-up horror film, but it’s a unique take on the ideas generated in the original Cat People (1942) projected though a particularly 1980s lens.
Today's Really Quite Tasty Snack:
Black Cat Oreos
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