CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

morrison-dylan-fan Learning from a fellow IMDber on the Film Noir board that British DVD company Network were having a sale,I went on to order some Film Noir.Taking a look at their listings,I found out that they have unearthed the British "remake" of The Cat People (a title I own,but have yet to see!) Due to being a fan of Hammer Scream Queen Barbara Shelly and having found Jack May terrific in the TV series Adam Adamant Lives!, (and his distinctive vocal performance for the classic cartoon series Count Duckula)I decided that it was the perfect time to grab this kittie tale.The plot:Returning home, Leonora Johnson is told by uncle that she will soon inherit a large sum of money.Pleased with this news,Leonora is told that there is actually one other thing she will inherit.The curse states that whichever family member inherits cash is able to control (and become one) with a big cat that brutally murders people. Soon Leonora finds herself completely possessed by the cat,and ends up being put in an insane asylum.Working at the hospital, Dr. Brian Marlowe decides to get this black cat out of Leonora's mind.View on the film:Showing its whiskers,Network give the film a superb transfer,with the picture of this uncut edition making the Noir shadows shine,and the clean soundtrack being lapped up.Opening with pelts of rain hitting the Johnson's household,future Upstairs Downstairs creator Alfred Shaughnessy & cinematographer Peter Hennessy rub their paws on a Gothic Noir atmosphere,where the psychologically damaged state of Leonora leads to Shaughnessy covering the screen in burnt white lights and thick black shadows that give holes for Leonora's mind to fester. Dipping into some of the social class he would focus on later, Shaughnessy peels it away with swipes of Horror,which despite mostly involving off-screen killings,does lead to an unsettling Film Noir mood being cast,as Leonora reveals her fangs.Aiming for something more Film Noir than pure Horror flick,the screenplay by Lou Rusoff cleverly takes the traditional horror "curse" to send Leonora into Noir insanity,that pushes Leonora to having to prove that the horror is real in an insane asylum,so that she can break down the Noir walls. Keeping Leonora's calls to the cat limited, (keep that budget down!) Rusoff disappointingly de- fangs the tension,via the limited appearances of the "monster" taking away any feeling of an outside force taking control of Leonora.Joined by a cackling Jack May,the beautiful Barbara Shelley gives a purr-fect performance as Leonora. Given the challenge of linking Leonora to a cat,Shelley impressively pulls the horror engulfing Leonora with a whirlwind Femme Fatale desperation,as the Cat Girl appears.

Michael_Elliott Cat Girl (1957) ** (out of 4) AIP remake of Val Lewton's CAT PEOPLE has Leonora Johnson (Barbara Shelley) returning to her home place with two friends and her new husband. At the house her uncle informs her that the family is cursed by having the power of turning into a leopard and that she's next in line to get it. If you see the AIP icon pop up at the start of the movie and expect nothing more than dumbness with a bad monster outfit then you'd be partially right. This isn't a good movie but I tip my hat to the producer's for at least trying to do a psychological horror film instead of just a monster running around in a bad mask type of film. The first forty-minutes of the film are pretty dark as our main character battles her family and her unfaithful husband as she slowly starts to lose her mind thinking that she does have the power to turn into a killing machine. After the forty-minute mark we turn into some cheap AIP stuff, which includes a couple transformation sequences were we get to see the title character. The outfit is pretty un-scary but I must admit that I liked the look of it and found it rather cute, which was strange considering I don't like cats. The outfit and its small hands looking so cute is obviously one reason why I didn't find the thing scary. The biggest problem with the film is that they do try for the psychological stuff but fail pretty badly. There's really nothing creepy about the film and there's never really any scene that even makes you tense up. That's not good when you're watching a film like this but director Shaughnessy at least knows how to build some mild atmosphere by keeping the lights off and everything dark and moody. Shelley, who had yet to make a big name for herself in the genre, turns in a decent performance but the screenplay really doesn't do her much good. Robert Ayres, Kay Callard and Ernest Milton round out the cast but none of them exactly jump off the screen. The film, thanks to the title, is a reworking of CAT PEOPLE but I think it actually has a lot more in common with Lewton's THE LEOPARD MAN. There are even moments towards the end where the character is having a mental breakdown, which will make people think of the Larry Talbot character from Universal's THE WOLF MAN. Either way, this film isn't in any of their league so it's only recommended to those who must watch every horror film from this period.

kevin olzak This early role for Barbara Shelley (in fact, her first in Britain after working in Italy), was made when she was 24 years old, and it's certainly safe to say that she made a stunning debut in 1957's "Cat Girl." While blondes and brunettes get most of the attention (I'll always cherish Yutte Stensgaard), the lovely auburn-haired actress with the deep voice always exuded intelligence as well as vulnerability (one such example being 1960's "Village of the Damned," in which her screen time was much less than her character's husband, George Sanders). She is the sole reason for viewing this drab update of "Cat People," and is seen to great advantage throughout (it would be difficult to fathom if her beauty ever found a better showcase). Her character apparently sleeps in the nude, and we are exposed to her luscious bare back when she is awakened (also exposed 8 years later in 1965's "Rasputin-The Mad Monk"). The ravishing gown she wears during most of the film is a stunning strapless wonder (I don't see what held that dress up, but I'd sure like to). All in all, proof positive that Barbara Shelley, in a poorly written role that would defeat most actresses, rises above her material and makes the film consistently watchable, a real test of star power, which she would find soon enough at Hammer studios for the duration of the 1960s.

Space_Mafune This film is a 1950s updating of Val Lewton's CAT PEOPLE. In this adaptation, Barbary Shelley's character of Lenora inherits the family curse of turning into a wild animal at night and controlling the killing nature of a leopard on the loose. While this is not in the same league CAT PEOPLE, it is nonetheless a nice low budget effort with great atmosphere, good suspense and a decent leading performance from Shelley in the werewolf-like role. I was slightly disappointed however by Robert Ayres rather stiff performance as Dr. Brain Marlowe.