Throughout the month of October, in honor of the Halloween season, my roommate embarked on a quest to watch at least one scary movie a week. Taking advantage of Fordham library’s free movie streaming service, Swank (Side note: if you haven’t used Swank, you’re missing out. It’s an amazing perk that we only discovered this year), we watched a number of classic horror films. While some of the films we watched were closer to the modern era, such as “The Shining,” the films we really focused on were the ones nearly a century old, the original black-and-white cinematic frights that defined an entire generation of horror. 

We enjoyed the legendary 1931 “Frankenstein” and the 1935 sequel “Bride of Frankenstein” even more. We were equally entertained and amused by the 1931 “Dracula.” Of these films, however, there was none so memorable, so strange and so under-discussed as the 1942 classic “Cat People.” 

There’s something about the title that immediately grabs the attention. While we’ve heard scary stories about bats and spiders, rats and wolves, there doesn’t seem anything particularly horrific about the average American feline. The other titles of the day bring chills to the spine — who hasn’t been afraid, at least a little bit, of Count Dracula? — but the most “Cat People” gets is a mild chuckle. 

We were nonetheless intrigued. The film appeared as #39 on Rotten Tomatoes’ “200 Best Horror Movies of All Time” list, with a respectable 91% critics’ score. The movie was apparently popular enough to merit both a sequel two years later, as well as a 1982 remake. What was it about this movie that captivated people? 

“Cat People” follows Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a Serbian-born woman living in New York City. Over the course of the first few minutes of the movie, she meets, falls in love with and becomes engaged to Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). While their relationship seems happy at first, on their wedding night, Irene reveals her terrible secret: she is descended from a tribe of Serbian cat people, who turn into deadly panthers when they feel extreme passion, including sexual arousal and jealousy. As a result, she is terrified to consummate the marriage, lest she become a giant cat and kill her new husband. 

This is perhaps one of the strangest film premises of all time, made even more strange by the fact that it was produced in 1942; as a result, any mention of sex or sexuality is heavily censored. Irena references that she is afraid to “kiss” her husband, and that she wishes she could “really become his wife,” but the restrictions of the day mean they must dance around what she’s really talking about. 

Despite the self-censorship, a lot of the movie feels very modern. Oliver’s reaction to Irena’s beliefs isn’t to mock her or fight with her; instead, he respects her wishes, but calmly suggests she see a therapist. The themes of women being made to fear their own passion, and being taught to shove their feelings down rather than succumb, are ones that would fit very well in a modern film. 

While “Cat People” is many things, bone-chillingly scary is never one of them. There are some suspenseful moments, but most of the “scary” scenes fall flat. That’s not to say the movie isn’t enjoyable, however. The plot is interesting. Most of the characters are likable. There are certain moments that are, intentionally or unintentionally, hysterical. My roommate and I simultaneously burst out laughing at the movie’s opening line, as Oliver tries to flirt with Irene at a zoo, by greeting her with the line, “You won’t believe this. You’ve probably heard it a dozen times before, but I’ve never known any artists.” 

The films of this era were much shorter than the long-drawn out movies of modern cinema; “Cat People” clocks in at about 75 minutes, making this perfect for when you don’t want to devote the entire evening to one movie. 

Despite, or perhaps because of, its oddness, the movie was highly entertaining. It’s the sort of film that demands to be viewed in a group setting, to comprehend exactly how strange of an experience it is. So, whenever you get the opportunity, be it next Halloween or sometime sooner, settle in with a group of friends and watch “Cat People.” I promise it’s an experience you’ll never forget.