Val Lewton was given the job by RKO in the early ’40s to produce low budget horror films that would scare up a healthy box office. Because he didn’t quite have the budget of a Universal werewolf production, Lewton couldn’t afford outrageous monster make up. Lewton scared audiences with shadows, creaky noises and bumps. His Cat People was a massive hit in 1942 without showing one person with whiskers. Fast forward to 1982 when director Paul Schrader (American Gigolo & Hardcore) updates Cat People for a new generation. Unlike Val Lewton, Schrader landed a budget that allows him to fill the screen with more than shadows. He was able to transform his huge cast into big cats. Cat People: Collector’s Edition lets us see deeper into the sensual feline horror with a 4K UHD upgrade.
The action starts in an African savannah where it appears a woman is being sacrificed to black panthers in an ancient tree. Except instead of being mauled, something else is going on while David Bowie is moaning his Cat People theme song. This is not going to be Val Lewton’s movie. We get flash forwarded to modern times when Irena Gallier (Paris, Texas‘ Nastassja Kinski) arrives in New Orleans to be with her brother Paul (A Clockwork Orange‘s Malcolm McDowell). The two haven’t been close over the years since after they were orphaned, Irena was with foster families and Paul was locked up in an asylum. But now Paul is better and even has a housekeeper named Female (Do The Right Thing‘s Ruby Dee). But before they can get too deep in the family reunion, Paul goes missing. Around this time, a prostitute (Shivers‘ Lynn Lowery) enters a room and finder herself mauled by a black leopard. This leads to the crew from the local zoo arriving to trap the wild animal. Oliver (Cutter’s Way‘s John Heard), Alice (Superman III‘s Annette O’Toole) and Joe (St. Elsewhere‘s Ed Begley Jr.) have no idea how such a fierce creature ended up in a remote dumpy motel.
Irena still can’t find Paul and Female tells her to just enjoy the time and visit New Orleans. This leads to her showing up at the local zoo. She’s drawn to a cage where the recently caught black leopard is trapped inside. She doesn’t want to go home which leads to her meeting Oliver. He offers her dinner and eventually a chance to work at the zoo’s gift shop. In the midst of this, one of the zookeepers has an industrial accident with the new leopard. But before things can go too far, the big cat vanishes from the cage. What’s going on here? The secret seems to lurk in the past of Irena and Paul’s family history.
When this update of Cat People came out, there were plenty of critics upset that it didn’t leave things up to your imagination like the original. But who in the ’80s wanted to pay for a ticket to use their imagination instead of seeing everything on the screen? They were also not happy at the sensuality that brought around the transformations of people into cats. This film came out at the same time as John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London and John Carpenter’s The Thing. Audiences wanted special effects pushed to the extreme and R rated films to earn that R. This movie did get shy when things transformed. There’s an animalistic urge on the screen that makes Cat People still pushes boundaries in today’s cinema. Schrader does reprise the spooky pool scene as found in the original, but he pushes the elements in the rest of the film. Schrader makes the film as sleek as the big cats that attack the unsuspecting folks of New Orleans. Kinski, McDowell and Heard form a triangle that will make you as uncomfortable as the gore effects. Cat People remains a master work of horror that makes you as fearful of the lethal fangs as the heart of the creature inside the fur.
The video is 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is a 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative In Dolby Vision (HDR 10 Compatible). You get the sense of New Orleans on the screen. The audio is 2.0 DTS-HD MA of the original mix and 5.1 DTS-HD MA to have the cats growl all around your room. The levels are great for when David Bowie does the theme song. The movie is subtitled in English.
DISC ONE (FEATURE FILM – 4K UHD):
Audio Commentary With Director Paul Schrader He describes how Universal was remaking horror films it controlled such as The Thing. He praises visual consultant Ferdinando Scarfiotti who had worked with him on American Gigolo. He couldn’t quite be the cinematographer, but he was in charge of the look of the film. Director of Photography John Bailey was cool with collaborating with Scarfiotti. Schrader wishes he’d changed the title since critics were eager to compare his film with the original.
DISC TWO (FEATURE FILM & SPECIAL FEATURES – BLU-RAY):
Audio Commentary is the same as the one on the 4K UHD disc.
More Than A Remake (9:13) is an Interview With Director Paul Schrader. He liked the Jungian implications of the film and the animal imagery. Schrader was offered the project after American Gigolo was a hit.
Unleashing The Animal Within (5:56) sits down with actress Nastassja Kinski. She was drawn to the psychological and physical nature of the role. She talks about Annette O’Toole playing the normal girl in the film. She goes into the animal and the human inside her character.
Making Memories (8:25) is an interview with Actress Annette O’Toole. She got called in at the last minute when Debbie Allen had to split the production. She enjoyed her time with Paul Schrader. She enjoyed the arty nature of the film. She also goes into how the braids informed the role.
Caging The Animal (6:12) is an interview with Actor John Heard. He originally passed when he thought the film was going to be X-rated. But he changed his mind. He speaks of playing obsession in the film.
Reconnecting With Cat People (7:34) takes us outside to chat with actor Malcolm McDowell. He wasn’t convinced about the film since he didn’t know much about the original movie and didn’t think it wasn’t good. He bought into Schrader’s vision for the film. He liked the erotic nature of the horror which makes sense since McDowell had starred in Caligula.
Cat Fight (5:53) gets actress Lynn Lowry talking about her doomed role. She auditioned by showing how she could battle the big cat. Schrader had most of her performance in blocking.
Composing A Cult Classic (5:32) gets into the score with composer Giorgio Moroder. Moroder had done the music for Schrader’s American Gigolo so they had a good working elevation. Moroder goes into working with David Bowie for the theme song.
Cat People: An Intimate Portrait (25:23) has Paul Schrader in his office in 2000 talking about the film. He goes into how he became involved in the film. His interview features photos from the sets and locations.
On The Set With Paul Schrader (10:21) has the director hanging out at the zoo in front of the cages. He’s all about the visual magic of the film.
Filmmaker Robert Wise on The Producer of The Original Cat People, Val Lewton (3:33) is praise for the filmmaker. Wise got his big directorial start with Lewton. He goes into the fear of the unknown found in Lewton’s RKO horrors. Wise would go on to win two Oscars for West Side Story and The Sound of Music.
Special Makeup Effects By Tom Burman (11:14) lets him explain who he liked the idea of turning a person into a cat. He wanted to bring a sensuality to the transformation. He met his wife while working on the makeup effects.
A Look At The Film’s Matte Paintings (3:10) exposes how they made the African desert in a soundstage.
Original Theatrical Trailer (2:18) & TV Spot (0:31) demonstrates how you put out a fire with gasoline. We get an earful of David Bowie’s theme song.
Photo Galleries (10:00) includes black and white press photos, behind the scenes shots, posters, lobby cards and newspaper ads. It was double featured with An American Werewolf in London.
Production Art (0:35) has the sketches for the zoo and Africa sets.
Scream Factory presents Cat People: Collector’s Edition. Directed by Paul Schrader. Screenplay by Alan Ormsby & Paul Schrader. Starring Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O’Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley Jr., Frankie Faison, Lynn Lowry, John Larroquette and Meshach Taylor. Running Time: 118 minutes. Rating: Rated R, Release Date: August 30, 2022.
