The Curse of the Cat People

The success of the original 1942 Cat People—a shadowy psychological horror film simmering with sexual repression—prompted RKO to request a sequel from producer Val Lewton. His solution was surprising and inventive: a psychological drama with a child's perspective and a ghost story twist, centered on Amy (Ann Carter), the dreamy young daughter of the hero (Kent Smith) of the original film. Schoolgirl Amy is constantly lost in her imagination, so much distracted by butterflies and stories of magic that she is shunned by other children. Left alone, she befriends the aged widow of the "haunted" manor in the neighborhood and conjures up a magical friend: the ghost of Irena (Simone Simon, from the first film), who is presented as a benevolent spirit looking after a dreamy girl. More modern fairy tale than horror film, The Curse of the Cat People was a box-office flop, perhaps because audiences expected more psychological horror rather than delicate fantasy, but this is a tender tale of childhood innocence with poetic images created on a B-movie budget by first-time feature filmmakers Gunther von Fritsch and Robert Wise. Extras include separate audio commentaries by film historians Steve Haberman and Greg Mank, the featurette "Lewton's Muse: The Dark Eyes of Simone Simon," an audio interview with actress Carter, and a stills gallery. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)