With horror industry heavy hitters already in place from the 1970s, the 1980s built upon that with the rise of brilliant minds in makeup and effects artists, as well as advances in technology. Artists like Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tom Savini, Stan Winston, and countless other artists that delivered groundbreaking, mind-blowing practical effects that ushered in the pre-CGI Golden Age of Cinema. Which meant a glorious glut of creatures in horror. More than just a technical marvel, the creatures on display in ‘80s horror meant tangible texture that still holds up decades later. Grotesque slimy skin to brutal transformation sequences, there wasn’t anything the artists couldn’t create. It Came From the ‘80s is a series that will pay homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.
Save for some very basic plot elements, the iconic pool scene, and subtle references, Cat People shares very little in common with the 1942 film it’s based (loosely) on. It’s not much of a remake but more of a complete reinvention. Something that it shares in common with another loose remake based on an RKO Pictures property released only two months later; The Thing. Cat People fared slightly better at the box office. Written by makeup artist turned writer/director Alan Ormsby (Shock Waves, Popcorn), and directed by Paul Schrader (First Reformed, Taxi Driver), Cat People is a strange beast.
An opening prologue set to Giorgio Moroder’s theme (with David Bowie on vocals in a later recorded version) reveals a desert set primitive settlement where a sacrificial woman is being tied to a tree as an offering to an approaching black panther. Then we see a different woman, with oddly feline features, peacefully enter a cave of another panther. Between the Moroder’s score and the vivid red hue, this prologue sets the dreamlike tone from the outset.
Cut to present day, where lead character Irena (Nastassja Kinski) has arrived in New Orleans to reconnect with her brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell) after years of separation in the foster system. The last time they were together was when they were small children, so Irena’s memories of her family are sparse. Paul attempts to fill her in on the key details; they belong to a cursed family line of cat people. For cat people, lust is the equivalent of bloodlust; if a cat person gives in to their sexual desires they’ll transform and slaughter their partner. Unless, they have sex with their sibling. Yes, cat people are doomed to be incestuous. Irena doesn’t believe him, until she finds herself falling for a zookeeper and Paul ends up on a murderous spree.
Much like the original film, the initial intent for the remake was to be rooted more in psychological fear. That was Schrader’s vision and how the screenplay was written. But that shifted thanks to films like The Howling, which wowed audiences with impressive transformation sequences and special makeup effects. While special effects and transformation sequences were always part of this project, they were dialed up to accommodate studio demands, making for a much gooier and bloodier affair – wet piles of fur, viscera, and slime is left behind in the wake of a cat person’s transformation here. These panthers literally burst from their human skin.
One of my favorite things about monsters in horror movies is that often they’re the ones we sympathize most with; it’s usually humans that are the true monsters. The virginal Irena has no clue that she’s a cat person, and struggling with her awakening sexuality that turns her into a literal monster takes the 1942’s theme to a new, primitive level. Taking her predicament into account, special makeup effects designer and creator Tom Burman (My Bloody Valentine, Howard the Duck) called on makeup artist Bari Dreiband (Scrooged, The Goonies) to design a more empathetic, sleeker cat person look for Irena, from a feminine perspective. By contrast, Paul’s creature design and transformation is much harsher and brutal.
Cougars dyed black stand-in for the panthers, because the panthers apparently aren’t trainable. Much of the film takes place in the New Orleans zoo, where the habitats are much too small for the animals. They don’t look comfortable. Considering there are stretches where certain scenes drag, the use of real animals tends to be a distraction.
Cat People was marketed as an erotic thriller upon release, and considering its central theme, there is indeed plenty of sex and nudity. But it’s more than that. It’s well shot, full of great mysticism, and the psychological intricacy of Irena’s story does come across. And Moroder’s score ranks high. Then there’s the gory effects, which gives the film just enough to appease horror hounds. This remake does what the best remakes should; pay respects to the original while making it something wholly different. That it straddles the line between arthouse thriller and full-blown horror means that most audiences struggle to embrace it. The end has proven quite polarizing, too.
