Paul Shrader is far better known as a writer (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) but he has also directed a few films and Cat People is one of them. A remake of a 1942 film it tells of an old, ancient time when big cats(leopards to be specific) roamed the lands and humans sent their daughters as sacrifice to mate with them(it is shown more poetically than how I wrote). One such union results in the birth of siblings whom we follow in present day New Orleans. This is a strange film in that it can be classified as fantasy-erotic horror. The atmosphere is supreme and the early scenes in the ancient times are reminiscent of David Lynch's Dune. The acting by everyone from the gorgeous Natasha Kinski to the always sublimely crazy Malcolm Mcdowell to John Heard as the sole "normal "human being is good. This is a good, distinctive horror film.

Growing up in the 80s, Paul Schrader's Cat People was (in)famous, mostly for its reported violence and sexual content. As a pubescent cinephile obsessed with horror movies, this film was a mainstay in my must-watch list. Sadly, it wasn't so until 2018. I have many cherished memories of wanting to watch Cat People: the awesome Giorgio Moroder soundtrack, the divided and heated reviews, the haunting poster and the much talked-about sexual content of the film. I am sure that if I had discovered the film during the 80s, my appreciation of Paul Schrader's film would have been quite different to my current opinion. I have the greatest respect for Paul Schrader's body of work whether it is his scriptwriting or directing; the titles simply speak for themselves: Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, Raging Bull, ... to name a few Scorsese pictures. One thing is sure about Mr Schrader, his scriptwriting is absolute genius. So what went wrong with Cat People? Please don't misunderstand me. Cat People is perfectly watchable from beginning to end and I do recommend the film. The source material, Jacques Tourneur's Cat People, is an established RKO classic from the early 40's, where it was all about oppressive atmosphere with extremely efficient cinematic expressionism. Stepping away from the traditional horror mould, Paul Schrader explores the themes of sexual frustration and emancipation pointing towards perversity, masochism and desperation doing so without holding back on nudity, violence and taboos. Again, the film is fine but, halfway through, I was getting that niggling feeling that it could have been so much more: bolder, more dreamlike or more nightmarish, more morally violent and more engaging (Lucio Fulci did it with The Beyond and Ken Russell with Altered States). Sadly, the film ends up being a sleazy piece of entertainment with just a few moments of genius. As an open-minded cinephile, I tend to forgive plot holes based on how gaping they are. Be warned, Cat People has its fair share. Once controversial upon its release, Cat People is tame to today's standards while still interesting in its exploration in sexual liberation.

Virginal beauty Irena Gallier (Nastassja Kinski) travels to New Orleans to live with her estranged brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell), unaware that they both belong to a race of cat people who turn into black leopards after sex, and who only return to human form when they kill. John Heard plays Oliver Yates (John Heard), curator at the local zoo, who puts himself in serious danger by falling in love with Irena.Like Tony Scott's The Hunger (1983), Paul Schrader's remake of Jacques Tourneur's 1942 classic Cat People is a case of '80s style over substance, the pretentious, art-house aesthetic coming before everything else, the film often more closely resembling an expensive music video than a horror movie. But where The Hunger was boring in the extreme, Schrader's Cat People manages to be a little more watchable thanks to lots of nudity, some decent gore, one or two genuinely tense scenes, and even an An American Werewolf In London-style transformation for good measure (special make-up effects by Tom Burman).As far as the nudity is concerned, it's kit-off time for both sexes, with the 21-year-old Kinski happy to wander around completely nude for her role, Annette O'Toole (Superman II) going topless for a re-creation of the original film's swimming pool scene, Lynn Lowry (of George Romero's The Crazies) briefly baring her boobs (her bra hilariously popping open as she escapes a cat attack), a blonde woman getting naked for a romp with McDowell, Heard baring his butt for a sex scene, and McDowell going one step further by briefly flashing his tallywhacker.The gore includes the mauling of call girl Ruthie (Lowry), Ed Begley Jr.'s arm being ripped out of its socket by one of the zoo's big cats (this fatal injury probably a regular occurrence at the zoo given how easy it is to reach the animals through the bars!), and the naked blonde bird's blood drenched mangled corpse, her body on the floor, her severed arm left laying on a bed.Chuck in a brooding synth score by Giorgio Moroder, a neat ending (Irena, remaining in cat form, caged in the zoo), and a theme song by David Bowie, and what you have isn't a complete waste of time, but neither is it worth going out of your way to see.4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.

"Cat People" came out in 1982 and is a modern take on the 1942 version.There's something about this flick that makes it engrossing. It has style and pizazz. For instance, the flashback scenes of the ancient panther tribe doing rituals in an orange desert are surreal and captivating; the accompanying atmospheric music adds to the mood nicely.Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell are siblings cursed to become were-panthers if sexually aroused. The only way they can become human again is to kill a fellow human. The idea is absurd and fantastical, but "Cat People" takes the subject absolutely seriously. John Heard plays a zoo manager who falls in love with Kinski, while Annette O'Toole plays the third person in the romantic triangle.The casting is great. Both Kinski and McDowell are properly cat-like. McDowell has a fittingly weird and diabolic air about him. John Heard is fine and O'Toole is simply gorgeous.If nudity offends you then you might want to skip this one as many of the characters are shown totally nude or near nude.Kinski is indeed quite attractive (be on the lookout for the scene of her fishing with Heard in hot pants and wader boots) but I'm a bit perplexed by Heard's decision to drop O'Toole for Kinski. Check it out and see if you share my confusion; pay particular attention to the pool sequence.One thing I don't get about the story is that it is established that cat people can only safely have sex with other cat people; therefore because Kinski and McDowell are the only cat people left they can only have sexual relations with each other (shudder). The problem is that it is revealed that other cat people DO exist as Kinski obviously runs into another cat person in the diner. If there are other cat people out there why would McDowell insist on having incestuous relations with his sister? Is he just a sick bastage or am I giving this too much thought?Keep in mind that this is indeed a horror flick and it can be pretty brutal at times.GRADE: B+ or A-