

A Serbian émigré in Manhattan believes that, because of an ancient curse, any physical intimacy with the man she loves will turn her into a feline predator.
Direction
Tourneur's shadows suggest terror you never actually see.
Sound
Busby's hissing score replaces every cheap jump scare.
Production
Val Lewton's B-movie genius: terror through implication alone.

Director
Jacques Tourneur
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
RKO forced Lewton to use the title 'Cat People'; he had to invent the entire plot around studio-mandated nonsense.
The film's 'Lewton Bus' technique—building tension then releasing with a harmless sound—was born here when a bus horn replaced the expected cat attack.
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