Curse of the Cat People (1944) | DVD review – Val Lewton’s haunting sequel is a tender tale of terror indeed! | Movie Talk | What's on TV

SYNOPSIS In Tarrytown, New York, home of the legend of Sleepy Hollow, sensitive six-year-old Amy Reed (Ann Carter) worries her parents Oliver (Kent Smith) and Alice (Jane Randolph) over her constant daydreaming and her inability to mix with the local children. Oliver is especially concerned, as his first wife, Irena (Simone Simon), was driven to madness and murder when she became convinced she was descended from a race of Balkan cat-like creatures.

When Amy is given what she believes is a wishing ring by the reclusive Mrs Farran (Julia Dean), who lives in an old mansion dubbed ‘the witch’s house’ with her daughter Barbara (Elizabeth Russell), Amy creates an imaginary friend in the guise of Irena, whose picture she finds in her father’s study.

Amy and her invisible friend happily play together as Christmas Eve approaches and the first snow reaches Tarrytown. But when Irena leaves after Amy is punished for daydreaming, Amy heads out into the woods one dark and stormy night in search of her only friend…

THE LOWDOWN Just as 1942’s Cat People was a brilliant piece of supernatural cinema, but a long way from horror, this ‘sequel’, again produced by the legendary Val Lewton, is anything but horrific. It’s actually a gentle fantasy about a lonely child caught up in a world that she imagines for herself, and takes its cue from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1913 poem, The Unseen Playmate. While it should be watched alongside the original 1942 classic, it’s certainly stands on its own merits despite being something of a flop on its original release; even UCLA child psychologists at the time praised its treatment of 'the troubled sensitive child'.

THE UK DVD RELEASE The OEG Classic Movies Region 2 DVD release, part of the Hollywood Studio Collection, features a fine un-restored print of the film in the 4:3 aspect ratio with Dolby Digital mono sound. For more about the film, review a fuller review (here) http://youtube.com/v/8O0hWTAyEXA