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From: hofbauer@utcsri.UUCP (John Hofbauer)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: Scariest Movies
Message-ID: <1573@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Oct-85 19:52:16 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsri.1573
Posted: Wed Oct 30 19:52:16 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 30-Oct-85 20:30:24 EST
References: <625@h-sc1.UUCP> <102800014@uiucuxc>
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
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> 	One, though, deserves mention - CAT PEOPLE (starring Nastassia
> 	Kinski). There is little actual "gore," but the *tension* in 

This is a remake (more or less) of a 1942 RKO film of the same name.
It was the first of a series of minor classics produced by Val Lewton.
Lewton, a highly cultured Russian emigre, was saddled by the studio
with a miniscule budget, even for those days, and a set of impossible
titles such as CAT PEOPLE, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A
ZOMBIE, etc. Rather than make the expected type of third rate horror
movie with people wearing moth-eaten cat costumes, he decided to
suggest the transformations and let the audience's imagination fill
in the details. The result was a series of highly entertaining and
intelligent thrillers. Incidently Lewton gave Robert Wise and Mark
Robson their first opportunity to direct with films in this series.

The Kirk Douglas character in THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952) is
modelled, in part, on Lewton. In one scene he is faced with producing
a B picture with moth-eaten costumes. This clearly offends his sense
of taste and so he decides to merely suggest the creatures, a la CAT
PEOPLE. John Houseman who produced this film was a friend of Lewton's.