RETRO REVIEW: CAT PEOPLE (1982)

An ancient family curse changes a brother and sister into large cats in PAUL SCHRADER’S erotic horror film, CAT PEOPLE. — An ancient family curse changes a brother and sister into large cats in **PAUL SCHRADER’S** erotic horror film, **CAT PEOPLE**.

Opening on an orange, sun-soaked African dessert, with the prowling, dark, and almost gothic beats of DAVID BOWIE’S “Cat People (Putting Out the Fire)” playing over the title screen, you know that PAUL SCHRADER’S 1982 erotic horror film, CAT PEOPLE is going to be extra. And I mean extra like my neighbor Pauline, who takes out her garbage every Tuesday clad head-to-toe in Gucci and Louis Vuitton, rolling that smelly bin out the curb with one hand, whilst carefully balancing a giant, fishbowl-sized glass of red wine in the other. That kind of extra. And it’s not surprising, when you consider the film was part of the New Romantic period of the 1980’s that extended both to film (with movies like THE HUNGER and VAMPIRE’S KISS), and music, with artists like ROXY MUSIC, SPANDAU BALLET, and yes, DAVID BOWIE himself. The movement featured outrageous fashion styles, highly-stylized, synth-driven pop music, and shifting gender norms, and CAT PEOPLE, with it’s themes of body horror, incest, and sexual awakening, was just the kind of sexy, stylish horror film those crazy club kids were looking for.

NATASSJA KINSKI as the sweet and seductive Irena. — **NATASSJA KINSKI** as the sweet and seductive Irena.

PLOT:

After years of separation, Irena (NATASSJA KINSKI) and her brother, Paul (MALCOLM MCDOWELL), reunite in New Orleans with the hope of finally reconnecting as siblings, in this loose remake of a 1942 film of the same name. When zoologists capture a wild panther, Irena is drawn to the cat – and the zoo curator is drawn to her. Soon, Irena’s brother will have to reveal the family secret: that when sexually aroused, they turn into predatory jungle cats.

MALCOM MCDOWELL goes full feline as Paul, in a scene from CAT PEOPLE. — **MALCOM MCDOWELL** goes full feline as Paul, in a scene from **CAT PEOPLE**.

KILLS:

Though overall, CAT PEOPLE feels more like an ADRIAN LYNE or BRIAN DE PALMA erotic thriller, make no mistake, there are some fantastic moments of body horror and gore that I feel tip the scales soundly in favor of the horror milieu.

We learn early on that Paul and Irena are brother and sister, who have been separated ever since their parents died (finding out later on in the film that they were actually brother and sister and that they killed themselves in a suicide pack). Irena was brought up in an orphanage, while Paul ended up bouncing around mental facilities for some pretty obvious reasons. Quickly, it becomes apparent that Paul’s motives for wanting Irena back in his life are anything but brotherly, and he explains to Irena (in an incredibly stylized dream sequence, no less) that their ancestors sacrificed their children to the leopards. As such, the souls of the children (like Paul and Irena), grew inside the leopards until they became human. Now, they are cursed for the rest of their lives to only have sex with their own family members, or else they change into cats. If they do change, they must kill before they can become human again.

BLACK PANTHER this ain’t.

Once Irena is back in the picture with her brother, the body count immediately starts to pile up. While touring the local zoo, she befriends Oliver (played by the always solid JOHN HEARD). Oliver has unknowingly captured Paul in his leopard form after a prostitute was badly mauled. Irena comes to visit him as he and one of the handlers (always happy to see ED BEGLEY JR. in a film) are getting ready to clean out the leopard's cage. Paul in his cat form sees Irena and charges at poor Ed Begs, ripping his arm right off, the blood running out of the socket like a stream underneath Irena’s pristine white shoes (in a very DePalma shot).

Because of the major plot point of this film being that these characters are giant cats, the way the kills look in the film have to reflect that, and Schrader pulls it off. We see the aftermath of Paul’s attack on a buxom blonde tourist in a hotel room, complete with broken furniture, shredded linens, and plenty of blood spatter. It looks like an extremely large animal attack, instead of a straight-up human slasher. In another scene, a caretaker is found dead up in the branches of a tree, much as a large predator cat would bring its kill up to its hiding place. It’s this kind of attention to detail that all works to elevate the film, which under different circumstances, would be a late-night, straight-to-”Skinemax” soft-core flick.

Irena (played by NATASSJA KINSKI) learns the consequences of not mating with her own kind. — Irena (played by **NATASSJA KINSKI**) learns the consequences of not mating with her own kind.

VISUALS/SFX:

CAT PEOPLE is undeniably irresistible to look at - from the gorgeous shots of gothic New Orleans architecture, to the dark and murky tones of the Louisiana bayous, the film is a sensual and mysterious feast for the eyes.

An important part of what makes the film so compelling to watch are the ubiquitous cats themselves. It can get a little muddling watching the film, as the cats are referred to both as panthers and as leopards, but you get over it pretty quick. In fact, ANNETTE O’TOOLE who played Oliver’s on-again, off-again side piece Alice, said in an interview that the production used cougars that were dyed black, because leopards are impossible to train. Regardless of that, the cats are majestic and beautiful, and it’s a joy to watch them, as well as the other wonderful zoo animals that become additional background characters in this.

The special effects are no slouch either. In what can be considered the climax of the film (and climax is apt), Irena and Oliver finally consummate their relationship, even after Paul’s warnings and pleadings that she needs to have sex with him instead (and yep, they are still brother and sister). After they do the deed, Irena starts to finally transform into her cat shape. While the SFX still can’t touch AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON for sheer detail and shock factor, it still is a great scene and incredibly effective. At one point, there is a great gross-out moment where Irena finally busts through her human skin to become fully realized as a cat that calls to mind DAVID CRONENBURG’S THE FLY.

JOHN HEARD as a New Orleans zoo curator who catches Irena’s eye. — **JOHN HEARD** as a New Orleans zoo curator who catches Irena’s eye.

PERFORMANCES:

Though there is plenty of eye candy to behold in this film, the film doesn’t just coast along on visuals alone. With a surprisingly stacked cast, the film makes great use of it’s actors. JOHN HEARD as Oliver is the perfect blend of ordinary-guy blandness, falling dick-first into the trap of a tortured, mysterious virgin with an exotic accent. It’s cliche af, but Heard does bring his consistent A-game to the character, giving him the dimension and depth that would have fallen flat with anyone else.

MALCOM MACDOWELL as Paul once again brings his A-game creep factor and I mean, creepy, creep-creep. Yes, he and his sister are the result of an incestuous ancestry, resulting in a decades long curse that is only broken if they sleep together, but Paul REALLY wants to smash his sister. She’s creeped out by it, we’re creeped out by it, because again - Paul is a creep. But, as ever, MacDowell is a charismatic actor to watch, and he brings a cocksure, and yes, cat-like swagger to the role.

The real stand-out though is German actress NATASSJA KINSKI as Irena. With her wide, pale green doe-eyes and expressive pout, she is no doubt stunning to watch. Though Kinski has several full nude scenes in the film, she is most captivating with her clothes on, bringing a genuine awkward naivete to the character of Irena. Although she is an extremely sensual woman, Kinski doesn’t make Irena into a one-dimensional sexpot. Irena is sweet, sheltered, and extremely doomed. Men practically throw themselves at her, but she is a virgin, saving herself for the one she loves. Once she finds that in Oliver, and her sexuality is finally unleashed, she is silenced and subdued. In one of the final scenes of the film, she asks Oliver to kill her. When he says no, she asks him to free her by making love to her again so she can live with her own. As Oliver proceeds to tie her naked to the bed, tears fill Irena’s eyes, knowing she will never be free again. While it could be dismissed as just another kinky sex scene, Kinski conveys all of Irena’s resignation, fear, and sadness into those tears and it is riveting to watch.

NATASSJA KINSKI and ANNETTE O’TOOLE in a scene from CAT PEOPLE. — **NATASSJA KINSKI** and ANNETTE O’TOOLE in a scene from **CAT PEOPLE**.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

With its teasing Bowie synth score and incestueous themes, CAT PEOPLE feels adult in the way you would sneak watching late-night cable as a kid while your parents slept in the other room. Central to all this sexy, bloody stuff is Irena’s sexual awakening, bringing all the events to a violent culmination, because, at the heart of CAT PEOPLE is a tale of repressed female sexuality. Irena is a virgin bombarded at every turn by men viewing her as a sexual conquest, including her own brother. While she understands her brother’s plight about their family curse and how to break it, she still holds out for love. Once she finally does the deed, her full sexual power as a woman is unleashed, and it is something to be feared by men, ultimately leading to her subjugation. Irena’s power as a sexual being is to be feared, as a force to be stopped and held at bay. Yes, she asks Oliver to let her be with her own in her true form, but her own are the other cats at the zoo that are also imprisoned. Without going too deep into the ethics of forced animal captivity, there is something deeply heartbreaking in that - that like those other wild creatures, Irena is also an animal to be subdued and viewed as an exotic curiosity from behind bars. It’s a chilling allegory on the repression and fear of the empowered sexual female.

CAT PEOPLE is a gorgeously great guilty-pleasure watch, ripe for a “Netflix-and Chill” type evening at home. Come for the boobs and the blood, but stay for the Shakespearean themes, gorgeous cats, and that absolutely fantastic Bowie song.

NATASSJA KINSKI as Irena. — **NATASSJA KINSKI** as Irena.

THE GORY DETAILS:

By his own admission, director PAUL SCHRADER says that one day he got so stoned on set that he refused to come out of his trailer. A whole day's filming was lost.

The film was nominated for several awards, including a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress for NATASSJA KINSKI and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Motion Picture Score for GIORGIO MORODER and Best Original Motion Picture Song for DAVID BOWIE.

Director PAUL SCHRADER and lead actress NATASSJA KINSKI had an affair during the production of this movie. Schrader fell in love and planned to propose marriage to Kinski at the wrap party, but she didn't attend and cut off all communication with him. After three months, Schrader finally tracked Kinski down in Paris, where she bluntly told him, "Paul, I always fuck my directors. And with you, it was difficult".

A re-recorded version of the film's title song, “Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" by DAVID BOWIE was included in his 1983 album LET’S DANCE. Originally, Bowie wanted to use the original film version of the song in that album, but MCA Records refused to license it, as GIORGIO MORODER was under contract to them at the time, and they were not about to let a competing label (EMI America) to use a song by one of its artists on their project.

This film's director, PAUL SCHRADER said of this movie: "Previously, I've made films about daydreams - this is my first film about nightmares . . . It's about what goes on when the lights go out - the unconscious world inhabited by erotic fantasies, and what Cocteau [JEAN COCTEAU] calls the 'sacred monsters' . . . When you're dealing with the fantastic, you need a place where people would accept it (the myth) . . . New Orleans [where this film is set] is one of those towns where you think almost anything can happen - and probably has!" Schrader has also said that this movie "contains more skin than blood". He has said that it is a mythical film rather than a realistic one and has likened the relationship in the movie between Oliver and Irina to that like Dante and Beatrice.