Cat Girl
A woman inherits a family curse of leopard possession.
The 1957 horror film The Cat Girl, directed by Alfred Shaughnessy, stars Barbara Shelley, Robert Ayres, and Kay Callard. Produced by Herbert Smith and Lou Rusoff, it serves as an unofficial remake of Val Lewton's Cat People (1942). This movie marks the first of two cat-themed films featuring Shelley, the second being Hammer's The Shadow of the Cat (1961).
Quick Facts
- Director
- Alfred Shaughnessy
- Producer
- Herbert Smith; Lou Rusoff
- Writer
- Lou Rusoff; Alfred Shaughnessy (rewrite)
- Starring
- Barbara Shelley
- Robert Ayres
- Kay Callard
- Cinematography
- Peter Hennessy
- Editing
- Jocelyn Jackson
- Studio
- Insignia Films; Anglo Amalgamated
- Distributor
- Anglo Amalgamated Film Distributors (United Kingdom); American International Pictures (United States)
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Leonora Johnson goes back to the family home, where her uncle Edmund Brandt tells her she will get the estate and money, but also a centuries-old curse: a leopard spirit will possess her, just as it has other family members. Edmund is then killed by his own pet leopard, as the curse demands victims die in their 70th year. No one can find the leopard. Leonora’s husband Richard came along even though she was told to come alone; he married her for her inheritance and brought their friends Allan and Cathy so he could secretly be with Cathy. When Leonora catches Richard and Cathy together in the woods, she spots the leopard in a tree. The leopard attacks and kills Richard; Cathy flees. Leonora confesses to the police that she is a were-cat and responsible for the death, but since Cathy saw the leopard attack, they think Leonora is unwell. Her ex-boyfriend, psychiatrist Dr. Brian Marlowe, believes she is delusional and asks her to check into a facility. She agrees, but feels the leopard has followed her to London. Jealous of Brian’s wife Dorothy, Leonora worries that Dorothy’s life is now in serious danger. Can Brian save his wife in time?
Production
The film marked the first joint Anglo-American production for American International Pictures, created alongside Britain’s Anglo-Amalgamated. AIP put up $25,000 and a script from their frequent writer Lou Rusoff, originally called Wolf Girl, in return for rights in the Western Hemisphere. Director Alfred Shaughnessy found the script absurd and aimed to reshape it into a psychological thriller where the lead, Leonora Johnson (Barbara Shelley), believes she is turning into a monster, though it is only in her mind. Shaughnessy noted that Rusoff listened to his ideas but showed no concern for what he did with the script, since Rusoff had already been paid and was mainly eager to collect his first-day pay and enjoy a London trip away from his wife. When AIP executives saw the finished film, they were outraged. Samuel Z. Arkoff demanded to know where the cat monster was, so effects artist Paul Blaisdell was hired to craft a furry cat mask and claws in under three days, which were then spliced into the finale for the U.S. release. The cameraman shot most of this added footage slightly out of focus, which Blaisdell considered shoddy. Only a few seconds of Blaisdell’s mask work actually made it into the final cut. Blaisdell took the mask and claws home, using them in home movies with his friend Bob Burns at his Topanga Canyon house. The mask later ended up destroyed in the fiery climax of AIP’s 1958 film How to Make a Monster.
Critical reception
Shaughnessy later wrote that Barbara Shelley gave a lovely, uninhibited, and dramatic performance, so good that he believed it condemned her to a long career in horror pictures. Variety called the film weak in all departments. The Monthly Film Bulletin noted that it invites adverse comparison with Cat People but is not a negligible minor essay in the horror genre after a poor start, with Barbara Shelley a little heavy-handed but effective as Leonora. David Quinlan rated the film average, writing that Britain's scream-queen-to-be's first taste of horror is fairly silly but has some chills.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Cat Girl?
Cat Girl has a running time of 76 minutes.
Who distributed Cat Girl?
Cat Girl was distributed by Anglo Amalgamated Film Distributors (United Kingdom) and American International Pictures (United States).
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