The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

This mostly unrelated sequel to Cat People (1942) has Amy, the young daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed. Amy is a very imaginative child who has trouble differentiating fantasy from reality,... See full summary »

Directors:

Gunther von Fritsch, Robert Wise

Writer:

DeWitt Bodeen (screenplay)

Stars:

Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Simone Simon	...	Ghost of Irena
Kent Smith	...	Oliver 'Ollie' Reed
Jane Randolph	...	Alice Reed
Ann Carter	...	Amy Reed
Eve March	...	Miss Callahan
Julia Dean	...	Mrs. Julia Farren
Elizabeth Russell	...	Barbara Farren
Erford Gage	...	Police Captain
Sir Lancelot	...	Edward

Storyline

This mostly unrelated sequel to Cat People (1942) has Amy, the young daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed. Amy is a very imaginative child who has trouble differentiating fantasy from reality, and has no friends her own age as a result. She makes an imaginary friend though, her father's dead first wife Irena. At about the same time, she befriends Julia Farren, an aging reclusive actress who is alienated from her own daughter Barbara.

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Plot Keywords:

sequel | cat | imaginary friend | actress | kiss on the forehead | 

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Taglines:

A tender tale of terror!

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1944 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

A Maldição da Pantera

Filming Locations:

900 West Adams Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The painting, featuring cats and a child, shown in the Reed's home and described as Irena's favorite piece of art, is the Goya work, "Don Manuel Osorio".

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Goofs

In the Reeds' house, there is a small side table with two figurines and a vase near the closet where the coats are kept. This table varies from having a backboard on it (when the carolers some to the house) to lacking one (when Oliver takes Amy outside to look for Irena and later when Amy flees the house).

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Connections

Follows Cat People (1942)

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Soundtracks

"Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant"
(Traditional French Christmas carol)

User Reviews

Much more than it appears to be

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.