Cat People (1982)
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62% of critics liked it
(37 reviews) -
45% of users liked it
(9,912 ratings)
In this loose adaptation of the 1942 horror classic of the same name, a 2001-style opening montage establishes some sort of sacrificial, mystical union between panthers and an ancient tribe of humans. Flash forward to 1980's New Orleans, where waifish Irina (Natassja Kinski) meets her older… More In this loose adaptation of the 1942 horror classic of the same name, a 2001-style opening montage establishes some sort of sacrificial, mystical union between panthers and an ancient tribe of humans. Flash forward to 1980's New Orleans, where waifish Irina (Natassja Kinski) meets her older brother, Paul (Malcolm McDowell), a minister, for the first time since their animal trainer parents died and she was sent to a series of foster homes. Paul's Creole housekeeper, Female (Ruby Dee), helps Irina settle into her brother's home, but Paul himself disappears. Cut to a fleabag motel where a blasé prostitute finds an angry panther instead of a client; after mauling her, the cat is captured by police and a team of zoologists: Oliver (John Heard), Alice (Annette O'Toole), and Joe (Ed Begley Jr.). The next day Irina finds herself in the zoo where these scientists work; drawn to the newly captured panther, she befriends Oliver and takes a job in the gift shop. Shortly after the panther's violence turns deadly, it escapes, and soon Paul turns up spouting an unbelievable story about his family's were-cat heritage and his inevitable sexual union with little Irina. On the run from her dangerous brother, Irina takes refuge in a sexually frustrated romance with Oliver, afraid of what might happen if she consummates their passion. Astute viewers will notice that the zoologist characters refer to the film's panthers as leopards; "panther" is actually a generic term for any large cat, especially a black one, but Cat People's panthers are in fact leopards whose black color comes from a recessive trait known as melanism. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Directed By
- Paul Schrader
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Apr 2, 1982 Wide
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Paul Schrader's hammering, art-porno remake of Jacques Tourneur's deft little thriller.
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Variety Staff, Variety
Kinski was essential to the film as conceived, and she's endlessly watchable.
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, Time Out
The seductively exotic surface of this mythically underpinned fantasy might be offset for some by much graphic gore, but if you can buy the romantic metaphors for the primitivisms of sexual obsession, the film delivers down the line.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Cat People is a good movie in an old tradition, a fantasy-horror film that takes itself just seriously enough to work, has just enough fun to be entertaining, [and] contains elements of intrinsic fascination in its magnificent black leopards.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...an art-house experiment gone horribly wrong.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Nastassja Kinski
as Irena Gallier
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Malcolm McDowell
as Paul Gallier
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John Heard
as Oliver Yates
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Annette O'Toole
as Alice Perrin
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Ruby Dee
as Female
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Ed Begley Jr
as Joe Creigh
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Scott Paulin
as Bill Searle
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Frankie Faison
as Detective Brandt
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Ron Diamond
as Detective Ron Diamond
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Lynn Lowry
as Ruthie
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John Larroquette
as Bronte Judson
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Tessa Richarde
as Billie
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Patricia Perkins
as Taxi Driver
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Berry Berenson
as Sandra
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Fausto Barajas
as Otis
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John H. Fields
as Massage Parlor Manager
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Emery Hollier
as Yeatman Brewer
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David Blackwell
as Staring Man on Bus
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JoAnn Dearing
as Soap Opera Woman
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James Deeth
as Second Helicopter Pilot
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Don Hood
as Agent
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Roger E. Reid
as Policeman
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Marco St. John
as Policeman
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Ray Wise
as Soap Opera Man
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Danelle Hand
as Indian Girl
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Robert Pavlovich
as Ted
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Harry Hauss
as First Helicopter Pilot
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Brett Alexander
as Cub Scout
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The Black Pope
as D.J.
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Julie Denney
as Carol
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Arione De Winter
as Indian Village Mother
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Marisa Folse
as Indian Girl
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Neva Gage
as Cat-Like Woman
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Gregory Gatto
as Cub Scout
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John C. Isbell
as Police Officer
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Charles Joseph Konya Jr.
as Policeman
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Stephen Marshal
as Moonie
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Terc Martinez
as Cub Scout
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David Ross McCarty
as Man in Airport
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Francine Segal
as Church Woman
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David Showacre
as Man in Bar
