The Curse of the Cat People

Never mind the lurid title; this is a charming fantasy involving a little girl and a lonely retired actress. Julia Dean actually hadn't done a film for a quarter of a century, and is terrific in her comeback role of the secluded actress who is delighted to befriend the child. Recommended to all.

Robert Wise directed this sequel to "Cat People", set several years later. Oliver Reed(played by Kent Smith) and Alice(played by Jane Randolph) are now married with a six-year old daughter named Amy(played by Ann Carter). Amy is a lonely child who has a hard time making friends, and seems to prefer living in her fantasy world, visited by the ghost of Irina(played by Simone Simon) Irina looks after Amy, but Oliver wants nothing to do with this, insisting that Amy must be socialized. Amy does befriend an elderly woman in her "haunted" house, though her daughter(played by Elizabeth Russell, though not as her cat lady character from the first) is resentful. Amy will later run away from home, becoming lost, though she is far from being alone... Unique and thoughtful sequel builds on the story from Part I, rather than repeating it, and result is most satisfying. (No third film was made however!)

This film is so much more than it appears to be at first viewing. It is essentially an adult's view of a lonely child's fantasies and how those fantasies affect her relationships with the adults around her. The performances are uniformly excellent with Ann Carter as Amy, the lonely girl, a standout. Her angelic look is perfect for her character. Also excellent are Julia Dean as Mrs. Farren, the ex-stage actress living in her own fantasy world, and Elizabeth Russell as her daughter, Barbara. And to justify the title reference to "Cat People", Simone Simon appears as Amy's imaginary friend. This is a small film that deserves a much larger audience. Excellent in all respects.

This is the most compelling and realistic psychological exploration of a lonely little girl's mind, thought processes, and feelings ever attempted by Hollywood. Every performance is perfectly on the mark, as are the frustrations evidenced by every character. If (God forbid) I never were to watch it again, every scene would continue to live on in my heart and mind.

Curse of the Cat People is an intriguing tale, beautifully filmed in a style that bears more resemblance to a Grimms fairytale than horror, with a mesmerizing performance from Ann Carter. This is her film and she is strong and convincing in the role. The exploration of the insecurity of the child coupled with a troubled relationship with her father is fascinating. I have not seen Cat People and, possibly, aspects of the history of the demise of Irena would be clearer having seen the original. The expectation of a "horror" film with the suggestive title is also misleading. If you are looking for horror you will need to look elswhere. This is ultimately a surprisingly sensitive and uniquely haunting film that would appeal on many levels.

Possibly the most irrelevantly (and misleadingly) titled movie ever. People are going to expect an old horror movie, spend the whole time waiting for a panther attack, and be disappointed. I'd say if you're going to show this to a friend, fast forward past the title and pretend it's called something else. Actually, don't bother with a friend. This is a film that you can only really enjoy alone. It brings back half-remembered feelings of early childhood, things you can't even put into grown-up words or ways of thinking. Viewing it with another cynical adult might break the film's fragile little spell.

but then that should really be no surprise considering who's involved here..Val Lewton, Robert Wise and returning star Simone Simon here in a much different albeit the same role as in CAT PEOPLE. Ann Carter as Amy is absolutely phenomenal in this film as well. This celebration of the strength of a child's imagination is a joy to watch as it is in essence her imagination which gives her strength and courage and in the end will even her tormented and worried father , still terribly haunted by the events in CAT PEOPLE, need it? While this is in part a sequel to CAT PEOPLE, it's relation to that film is mild at best. No this is a journey into the fantastic through the eyes of one very imaginative yet very lonely child. Beautiful and moving.