Cat People (#833)

The first of the horror films producer Val Lewton made for RKO Pictures redefined the genre by leaving its most frightening terrors to its audiences imagination. Simone Simon stars as a Serbian migr in Manhattan who believes that, because of an ancient curse, any physical intimacy with the man she loves (Kent Smith) will turn her into a feline predator. Lewton, a consummate producer-auteur who oversaw every aspect of his projects, found an ideal director in Jacques Tourneur, a chiaroscuro stylist adept at keeping viewers off-kilter with startling compositions and psychological innuendo. Together, they eschewed the canned effects of earlier monster movies in favor of shocking with subtle shadows and creative audio cues. One of the studios most successful movies of the 1940s, Cat People raised the creature feature to new heights of sophistication and mystery.

SPECIAL FEATURES

New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray

Audio commentary from 2005 featuring film historian Gregory Mank, with excerpts from an audio interview with actor Simone Simon

Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows, a 2008 feature-length documentary that explores the life and career of the legendary Hollywood producer

Interview with director Jacques Tourneur from 1979

New interview with cinematographer John Bailey about the look of the film

Trailer

English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

PLUS: An essay by critic Geoffrey OBrien