Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

film-ronin Immediately Giorgio Moroder's score captures you in the darkness with its sensual rhythms, then Schrader entices us into a labyrinthine journey of sex and death seen through the eyes of the dark & beautiful Irena (Kinski). Her brother Paul, played by a Malcom McDowell welcomes Irena to New Orleans ( a perfect location for this erotic & fetishistic tale ) dressed as a priest, this is their first 'reunion' since infancy & orphanage. Paul takes her home and introduces her to his housekeeper Female (played by the great Ruby Dee). Their joy is short lived, as Paul's incestuous overtures are rebuffed by an innocent Irena and his disappearance coincides with a visit by the police to investigate Paul's possible involvement in a 'ritualistic' murder involving a panther. Female is arrested as a possible accomplice to Paul's crimes. In jail, she advises Irena to 'not love' and 'pretend the world is what men believe it to be'. Irena is quickly taken in by Oliver ( John Heard ), curator of the New Orleans Zoo, after he startles her sketching a recently captured black panther. Irena settles into a life working at the zoo and begins a relationship with Oliver, much to the dismay of Alice ( Annette O'Toole ), ostensibly Oliver's love interest until Irena's arrival. Paul resurfaces after a tragic attack by the panther on a zoo keeper (played by Ed Begley, Jr.) in front of Irena, Alice & Oliver. Paul's presence is now menacing and his previous advances are now violent and threatening. He tells Irena that 'only she can save him': by being with him as they are like their parents- brother & sister and of an ancient and incestuous race, unable to mate with only their own kind, lest they transform-returning to human form only after killing. Schrader captures the dark, sensual and moody atmosphere of the New Orleans night with this tale of occult, sex, blood & lycanthropy.

Dalbert Pringle Meow! - To the max!.... Yes. It's "Cat People" - Where Sexual Chic Meets Explicit Horror.Released in 1982 - Cat People is technically a really well made film - Very stylish. Sleek and glossy. In this flick the viewer is, pretty much, spared nothing - Incest, Bondage, Bestiality.... (Yep. It's all here, folks)Apparently, Cat People was intended to be a remake of the 1942 film of the same name. But this flick really bears little, if any, resemblance to the original production. Although this adaptation does take off on the same basic theme - That a woman (a member of a race of feline-humans) will automatically revert back into her animalistic self whenever she engages in fornication. (Get the picture?) Cat People stars the exquisitely seductive, but, emotionally vacant beauty, Nastassja Kinski as Irena. This horror film's moody title track was written and performed by pop star - David Bowie.

Michael_Elliott Cat People (1982) *** (out of 4) Irena Gallier (Nastassja Kinski) arrives in New Orleans to visit her brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell) but soon falls for a man (John Heard) she meets at the local zoo. It doesn't take long for the young woman to realize that there's something not quite right with her or her brother and soon her sexual design brings something else out in her.Paul Schrader's remake of the 1942 film really doesn't have too much in common with that Val Lewton production. I think Schrader and screenwriter Alan Ormsby made the right decision in not trying to just remake that film and instead taking on a different approach. That approach was like several other remakes from the 1980s in that it added up a notch of sexuality. CAT PEOPLE didn't get too much credit when it was released outside the full frontal Kinski but that's really too bad because the film itself is quite good.I think Schrader did a very good job with the material and I thought he managed to milk the sexuality for everything it's worth as well as create a very interesting lead character. I thought the film did an extremely good job at the psychological stuff as the lead character is constantly wondering who she really is and the very also questions what we're actually seeing. The director managed to build up the psychological drama as well as the sexuality in the material. Some have argued that there weren't enough horror elements, which I can understand them saying that but even the original played with your mind more than actually showing you anything.A major reason for the film's success is the performance of Kinski who is simply wonderful in the lead role. The film works because you can believe her as this sweet and innocent woman that we meet at the start of the film. She plays a virgin here and the actress makes you believe that as the innocence just leaps off the screen but she also handles the character once she begins to change. The supporting cast is also great with McDowell is especially believable in the role of the creepy brother. Both Heard and Annette O'Toole offer excellent support as does Ruby Dee and Ed Begley, Jr. in their small roles.The sexuality of the film is certainly something that sets it apart as is the full frontal nudity from the lead actress. I'd argue that the film runs a bit too long as some editing might have helped but there are still plenty of effective scenes. Even the start inside the hotel room with the leopard was quite intense. Schrader's CAT PEOPLE has never really gotten the credit it deserves but it's a nice little gem.

Wuchak "Cat People" came out in 1982 and is a modern take on the 1942 version.There's something about this flick that makes it engrossing. It has style and pizazz. For instance, the flashback scenes of the ancient panther tribe doing rituals in an orange desert are surreal and captivating; the accompanying atmospheric music adds to the mood nicely.Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell are siblings cursed to become were-panthers if sexually aroused. The only way they can become human again is to kill a fellow human. The idea is absurd and fantastical, but "Cat People" takes the subject absolutely seriously. John Heard plays a zoo manager who falls in love with Kinski, while Annette O'Toole plays the third person in the romantic triangle.The casting is great. Both Kinski and McDowell are properly cat-like. McDowell has a fittingly weird and diabolic air about him. John Heard is fine and O'Toole is simply gorgeous.If nudity offends you then you might want to skip this one as many of the characters are shown totally nude or near nude.Kinski is indeed quite attractive (be on the lookout for the scene of her fishing with Heard in hot pants and wader boots) but I'm a bit perplexed by Heard's decision to drop O'Toole for Kinski. Check it out and see if you share my confusion; pay particular attention to the pool sequence.One thing I don't get about the story is that it is established that cat people can only safely have sex with other cat people; therefore because Kinski and McDowell are the only cat people left they can only have sexual relations with each other (shudder). The problem is that it is revealed that other cat people DO exist as Kinski obviously runs into another cat person in the diner. If there are other cat people out there why would McDowell insist on having incestuous relations with his sister? Is he just a sick bastage or am I giving this too much thought?Keep in mind that this is indeed a horror flick and it can be pretty brutal at times.GRADE: B+ or A-