CAT PEOPLE (1982 - HORROR / ROMANCE ) **** out of *****
(Meow, bitches..)
CAST: Nastassja Kinski, John Heard, Malcolm McDowell, Annette O'Toole, Ed Begley Jr., Ruby Dee, Lynn Lowry.
DIRECTOR: Paul Schrader
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and some good reasons to let your inner cat out right now - straight ahead...
IT'S LIKE THIS: In our last Halloween review, we hopped over to Japan and observed THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS, wherein the dumbass Fletchers, an American family, were waylaid by a trio of goofy, mincing Japanese ghosts who were about as scary as a Pokemon cartoon. Let's just say things didn't end well for the dear Fletchers, even with their nemeses being as silly as Pee Wee Herman on laughing gas. I've seen supermarket checkout cashiers who were more terrifying.
So, let's go back to the States and head on over to probably the most exotic, mysterious city within our own country: New Orleans, LA. Our next Halloween Review is the 1982 erotic horror flick CAT PEOPLE, and let's just say that this is one good-looking movie. Hell, there were moments when I forgot I was watching a horror flick, and thought I was reviewing the latest Calvin Klein fragrance or apparel commercial, filled with slinky, purring, gorgeous folks who look ready to devour you at any minute. My, it's getting hot in here....
Anyway, our story kicks off with a prologue set several thousand years ago in some desert environment. We see a woman being led by her tribe to a towering, sprawling tree in the middle of nowhere. She is chained to the tree - and left alone by her escorts. Just when you are starting to think this is some prehistoric fraternity prank, who should show up but a sleek, handsome black leopard. Mr. Leopard locks eyes with our hapless damsel, like they are seeing each other across a crowded bar. Slowly, he walks up to her, gazing at her intensely in the way I look at my prime rib when I haven't eaten all day. Except when Mr. Leopard gets close to the chained maiden, he doesn't eat her. At least, not in the conventional sense. A-hem.
Flash forward to 1982 in New Orleans, and we meet our lovely, lovely heroine: Irena Gallier (Nastasska Kinski). Irena has just arrived in The Big Easy from New York. Apparently, she is an orphan and foster child who is now reconnecting with her long-lost brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell), who has spent the last few years tracking her down. Now that he has, he has asked her to move in with him and his weird house servant, Female (Ruby Dee). I should also add that Female's name is pronounced "Fuh-mah-lay." Just saying...
Anyhow, later that evening, a prostitute named Ruthie (Lynn Lowry) goes to a skeezy motel to meet a client - only to be attacked by a black leopard hiding underneath the bed. Ruthie barely manages to escape - and the animal control folks of New Orleans Zoo are called in. The are comprised of: (1) Dr. Oliver Yates (John Heard), hunky zoologist who loves cats; (2) Alice Perrin (Annette O'Toole), Oliver's assistant who has a crush on him; and (3) Joe Creigh (Ed Begley Jr.), the comic relief on the animal control team.
After an extended scuffle, Oliver and his folks are able to corral the loose big cat and tranquilize him. Later, Oliver learns from NOPD Inspector Brandt (Frankie Faison) that there have been a series of murders recently in New Orleans - and he believes this cat may be the culprit. But where did the black leopard, AKA Big Blackie, came from? Whatever the case may be, Big Blackie winds up the newest exhibit at the zoo - whether he likes it or not. Sorry, brother.
While all this is going on, it appears Paul has disappeared - and no one knows where he is. Irena, being new in town, tries to entertain herself as best she can in her brother's absence. After spending what seems like an eternity in the French Quarter, Irena ends up at the New Orleans zoo, after hours. She finds herself strangely drawn to Big Blackie, and he to her. Oliver discovers her and she runs off, leaving the big cat behind, who's all pissed at Oliver for cramping his style.
Eventually, Oliver catches up to Irena, who has somehow wound up in the branches of a tree twenty feet off the ground. She has no idea how she got up there - just that she instinctively leapt up and reached it, no problem. Ahem, folks. Anyhow, Oliver takes Irena out to dinner and is entranced by her exotic beauty which is almost... cat-like. Ahem x 2, folks. To be a nice guy and help out this newbie in town (or maybe to get her to like him) he gets Irena a job in the zoo's gift shop. My, my, my, it's getting hot in here...
All in all, a pretty good night for our dear Oliver: he met a hot, exotic, feline chick in the form of Irena, took her to dinner, got her a job, and is probably going to wind up in her bed real soon. Unfortunately, this really good evening is followed by a real bad day. As in: (1) Big Blackie kills Joe during a cage cleaning; and (2) escapes from the zoo later on when Oliver tries to put him down. Oh, and that evening - miracle of miracles - Paul miraculously turns up at his house and surprises the shit out of Irena. He says they need to have, ahem, a heart-to-heart about something. And what Paul has to say is supremely bizarre.
See, it appears that he and Irena are, um, "Cat People." That is, they are descended from an ancient race of beings that had big cats for parents. Being a "Cat Person" has several rules: (1) They can only mate with each other; (2) if they mate with a "Normal Person" they will transform into, ahem, a big cat; and (3) the only way they can turn back into a human form is to, ahem, kill a human. Hence, all the murders that have been happening lately. Apparently, Paul has been having sex with normal folk, then transforming into Big Blackie, and then having to kill more human folk to turn human again. Got all that?
Paul tells Irena that he and she are fated for each other. The only way they can avoid turning into big cats - and therefore keep from killing more innocent people - is to continue their ancient traditions of keeping it all within the "Cat Family." Paul says he can help Irena discover her true nature. Irena, on the other hand, basically tells Paul to go fuck himself - and books it out of there. She is rescued by the NOPD, and they take her back to Paul's house - where a K9 dog detects the smell of rotting flesh.
Before you know it, the cops have uncovered several corpses in Paul's basement - past victims of him in Big Blackie form. So far, Irena's reunion with her brother has been a total bust: (1) he turned out to be skeezy pervo who wants to boff her; (2) he's killed a shitload of people and stored them in the basement; and (3) he can apparently turn into a black leopard. All in all, it's looking like she should've stayed in New York, eh?
But is Paul right when he said she has the "black leopard" inside her, too? And how can she contain it? Is it true that if she makes love to a normal man, she will turn into a big cat and kill him? If so, how can she hope to have a normal relationship with any man? And what happens when she finds herself falling in love with Oliver? How can she give in to her desire but also protect him, too? Will she end up killing the man she loves because of the "cat within"? Or will she find some way to break the curse of the "Cat People" - and find a way to have a happy ending with Oliver? Or will she have to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep him safe and alive?
Well, I'm pulling for you, girl. Good luck with that...
BUT, SERIOUSLY: In our past Halloween review of THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS, we talked about how execution is, essentially, everything when it comes to telling stories cinematically. A great idea can flame out if told incorrectly, as we saw with that movie. But we also discussed how a potentially silly idea can actually work, and even soar high, if given the correct treatment and told in an inspired way. Our latest Halloween review, is a beautiful example of that: CAT PEOPLE takes the ludicrous notion of humans morphing into jungle cats when sexually aroused, and turns into a hypnotic, surreal, and - yes - supremely sexy examination of love, desire, and sacrifice.
Director Paul Schrader was very clever to use New Orleans as a backdrop for this remake of the original CAT PEOPLE from 1944. That film was set in New York but, while considered a classic, it doesn't have the seductive, feline-like quality that this remake appropriately has in spades. Part of the reason for CAT PEOPLE 1982's sexy feel is the New Orleans atmosphere that is langurous, slinky, and mysterious - much like a cat itself. New York is simply too fast-paced and crowded for a tale that pivots around sensuality and dark romance, and CAT PEOPLE 1942, while an entertaining film, is simply not as alluring this version.
Another reason the remake fares better than the original is because of Nastassja Kinski, who gives us a more compelling Irena than Simone Simon did back in 1942. Kinski, daughter of German superstar Klaus Kinski, is very magnetic in the role and appropriately feline-like. Quite frankly, I can't see anyone else playing this role in the same way she does, combining innocence, sensuality, fear, and courage in a way that makes her constantly fascinating. Nastassja Kinski was never more beautiful and riveting than she was as Irena Gallier in this film. It is truly her best part.
The third and final reason CAT PEOPLE 1982 trumps CAT PEOPLE 1942 is because Paul Schrader wisely decided to turn his film into more of a dark, tragic love story - and less of a horror film like the original was. He makes the romance between Oliver and Irena the most important aspect of the plot, giving it an almost "Romeo-and-Juliet" aspect. As a result, the remake has a powerful emotional core that the original lacked. Schrader wisely realigns the various plot threads and streamlines the narrative in the most emotionally effective way. The result, quite simply, is a much better film that has a haunting, bittersweet feel.
For a film romance to work, both parties must be effective. John Heard as Oliver Yates is just as potent as Kinski's interpretation of Irena. When Oliver tells her "I've spent most of my life looking for someone I would even want to fall in love with. Now that I have, I'm not letting you get away." Without the right emotional build-up and the right actors involved, the line could've easily come across as false. But because Oliver and Irena's relationship is so engaging, Heard sells the line. Oliver and Irena are one of my TOP 3 favorite screen couples, right next Jesse Wyler and Terry Brogan from AGAINST ALL ODDS and Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy from THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN. Great characters played wonderfully by great actors.
Malcolm McDowell, Annette O'Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley Jr, and Frankie Faison are all good in their various important supporting roles. McDowell is the true standout as Paul Gallier, the murderous villain whose crimes are rooted in an instinct for survival - not evil. McDowell gives the role layers of unexpected humanity and complexity that make it more interesting. Ruby Dee is also eerily effective as Female, the Cajun servant who knows all about the "Cat People" and their history - and how strong the "cat" is inside Irena. Finally, special mention must also be given to Giorgio Moroder, whose sleek, brooding music score does a lot to enhance CAT PEOPLE 1982's very seductive vibe. It's romantic, scary, and surreal - all at the same time.
In the end, CAT PEOPLE 1982 is meant to be more of a dark romance than a horror film. The emphasis on Oliver and Irena's "forbidden" romance is the emotional engine that powers the movie, turning what could have been just another "wild beast on the loose" horror movie into a moving look at the animal inside all of us - and the unexpected capacity of that animal to still make a great sacrifice for the one it loves.
