63 - Cat People

    A newly married couple has some difficulties.  She believes she’s under a curse that will cause her to turn into a panther if she sleeps with him.
    I remember this being mentioned last year in a horror documentary.  I’ve seen references to this before, and it’s been an intention of mine for a long time.  Finally, I got to it.  It’s interesting, and influential, but it’s too dated to be effective any more.
    The direction and photography is great.  Heavy shadows, very clever lighting.  It’s a beauty to watch.  The sound is actually very good, especially for the time period.  The script is a bit weak.  Mostly, the problem is that there isn’t much development throughout the story.  It’s not terrible, it’s just pretty slow.
    The influence that this movie had is much more important.  It established certain horror tools - building tension with music and sound, eventually leading to a false scare.  (In this case, it’s a bus.  In others, it’ll be a tea kettle whistling, a telephone ringing, etc.)  The way that shadows are used is very effective, and has had an influence in setting horror standards for a long time.  Even the dream sequence, while heavily dated now, seems to have set a certain standard.
    The story is a weak point though, reminding me of the hour-long episodes of Twilight Zone.  For historical purposes, it’s definitely worth a watch.