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Hollywood's first overtly sexual horror film, Cat People terrified a generation with its subtle underscoring of Freudian
vernacular. Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon) is a Serbian sketch artist living in New York, who meets and falls in love with a young man, only to awaken
the deadly impulses that lay hidden within her and trigger the terrifying transformation that curses her family. Earlier genre classics, such as Tod
Browning's Dracula, were keyed to covert sexuality in the accepted Victorian manner, but Cat People, produced, conceived, and co-authored by Val
Lewton, marked the first time that a Hollywood chiller used the sexual act and impulse-and their accompanying conflicts-as the basis for action and
story. Criterion's special edition includes:
- Audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder
- The original theatrical trailer for Cat People and other Val Lewton films
- A Val Lewton
filmography, production stills, and lobby cards
Clips |
In Depth |
Index of Films
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On special today for 20% off:
USA suspense
1942
bw 73 min.
