Cat People

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Cat People

1942

1h 13m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

72 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a New York City–based fashion designer who hails from Serbia, begins a romance with marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). After the couple gets married, Oliver becomes concerned about Irena's notion that she is cursed and may transform into a large cat in the heat of passion. Confiding in his beautiful assistant, Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), about his marital issues, Oliver unwittingly triggers Irena's curse, with tragic results.

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Critics Consensus

Influential noir director Jacques Tourneau infused this sexy, moody horror film with some sly commentary about the psychology and the taboos of desire.

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Mildred Martin

Philadelphia Inquirer

Dec 30, 2020

A weird little chiller called Cat People... is calculated to frighten you out of your wits and make you think twice before trusting anyone who arouses a feline's instinctive dislike.

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Len G. Shaw

Detroit Free Press

Dec 30, 2020

Simone makes her way through his combination of phantasy and reality, and comes off creditably in a part that calls for emotional repression.

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Mae Tinée

Chicago Tribune

Dec 30, 2020

Photography and settings are effective, and the naturalness of the dialog issuing from such a murk of the fantastic is very impressive.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 13, 2025

4/4

Even with challenges from (among others) Psycho and The Wolf Man, it’s likely that 1942’s Cat People is my all-time favorite horror film. It's a masterpiece of the genre.

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Peter Bell

Vague Visages

Jun 22, 2023

Director Tourneur utilizes the rich imagery of the King John legend and the Cat People throughout the film.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Dec 6, 2022

4/5

It's a classic for a reason.

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Liam D

@Mediawatcher2003 1 day ago

What people consider to be the first horror movie with a Jump-scare (which was called The Lewton Bus Scene) Jacques Tourneur’s masterpiece is a mixture of Gothic atmosphere and Noir mood that incredibly engaging and suspenseful in its 70 minute runtime

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 4, 2026

Cat People is a *4* star Movie!

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revolver.0 8

@Revolver08 Sep 7, 2026

There is a good theme and some scenes for horror generation to come, but it’s also too silly, so as acting

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Ollie W

@RT90619198 Aug 9, 2026

It’s a simple story. Oliver Reed is likeable as the husband who struggles with his foreign wife’s superstitious beliefs. There’s some suspense but it’s not much of a horror film - it’s more of a strained love story. The premise is pretty silly: a woman can’t have physical intimacy with her husband lest she turn into a killer cat. But it works as a time capsule with nice cinematography.

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Homu L

@AkemiLord May 3, 2026

Fantastic movie. I really enjoyed watching this. Great film!

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Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo Dec 26, 2025

Although handsomely filmed, ultimately plays out pretty mild. Simon and Randolph were good. Maybe more jump of gnarling?

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Jacques Tourneur

Director

Simone Simon

Irena Dubrovna Reed

Kent Smith

Oliver Reed

Tom Conway

Dr. Louis Judd

Jane Randolph

Alice Moore

Jack Holt

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Synopsis

Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a New York City–based fashion designer who hails from Serbia, begins a romance with marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). After the couple gets married, Oliver becomes concerned about Irena's notion that she is cursed and may transform into a large cat in the heat of passion. Confiding in his beautiful assistant, Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), about his marital issues, Oliver unwittingly triggers Irena's curse, with tragic results.

Director: Jacques Tourneur
Producer: Val Lewton
Screenwriter: DeWitt Bodeen
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 6, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 17, 2016
Runtime: 1h 13m

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