Perhaps not as mysteriously beautiful as "Cat People" or not as nightmarish as "The Body Snatcher", but still this Val Lewton production equally is a solid horror milestone that should be viewed by everyone who wants to learn about the roots of atmospheric horror. The screenplay, adapted from the Woolich novel "Black Alibi", is simple ...yet powerful enough to provide the film with a good 60 minutes of pure tension. Soon after a leopard, hired from a traveling circus for a publicity stunt, escapes from a fancy nightclub, horribly mutilated bodies begin to turn up in a Mexican border town. Is the animal really tearing everyone on its path to pieces or is someone abusing the town's mass-hysteria to satisfy his/her own urge to kill? Director Jacques Tourneur once again proves himself to be a master in creating an unbearably tense atmosphere. His excessive use of shadows and darkness turns the sets into ominous places while the constant unnatural sounds keep you alert for possible animal-attacks! Who needs a budget when you've got this much talent and style? "The Leopard Man" is an excellent film, one to watch preferably in series with "I walked with a Zombie" and "Curse of the Cat People".
Review of The Leopard Man
