The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

The young, friendless daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed befriends her father's dead first wife and an aging, reclusive actress.

Directors:

Gunther von Fritsch (as Gunther V. Fritsch), Robert Wise

Writer:

DeWitt Bodeen (screenplay)

Stars:

Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph

2 nominations.

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:

imaginary friend | sequel | child in peril | child's point of view | ghost | 

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Taglines:

Strange, Forbidding, Thrilling

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amy and Her Friend

Filming Locations:

900 West Adams Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

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 theme within the film, a child believed to be on the verge of insanity because she lives in a fantasy world, was personal to producer Val Lewton who behaved in a similar way as a child. His wife has said that she felt he never truly came back to the real world as an adult

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Goofs

When Miss Callahan runs to the phone to call the police to report that Amy is missing she dials O for the operator and begins speaking as if the call was answered on the other end of the line; however, the rotatory dial had not stopped before she begins her conversation.

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Quotes

Mrs. Julia Farren: Those days... those beautiful, shining, golden days!

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Follows Cat People (1942)

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Soundtracks

Il est né, le divin Enfant
(Traditional French Christmas carol)
Sung by Simone Simon during the Christmas scene.

User Reviews

like a brittle snowflake

Possibly the most irrelevantly (and misleadingly) titled movie ever. People are going to expect an old horror movie, spend the whole time waiting for a panther attack, and be disappointed. I'd say if you're going to show this to a friend, fast forward past the title and pretend it's called something else. Actually, don't bother with a friend. This is a film that you can only really enjoy alone. It brings back half-remembered feelings of early childhood, things you can't even put into grown-up words or ways of thinking. Viewing it with another cynical adult might break the film's fragile little spell.