Novelist and critic Kim Newman assesses the horror noir Cat People (1943), produced by Val Lewton and directed by Jacques Tourneur. This important and influential film is considered in the light of its place in film history and as a work of ambitious horror. The new edition includes a postscript about the sequel, The Curse of the Cat People.

The influential horror noir Cat People (1943) was the first production from the unit set up by RKO Pictures to make low-cost, high-return horror movies. Producer Val Lewton was handed the title and ordered to come up with a film to fit. He and director Jacques Tourneur created an innovative film that is now legendary for its elliptical style – its emphasis on the terrors of what is suggested but not seen.

Kim Newman considers this ambitious work in light of its place in film history, exploring its relationship with the horror film genre from which it emerges and against which it rebels. Through close analysis, he teases out the layers of meaning and intent that make this at once a supernatural drama and an unusual psychological study.

This second edition features a postscript about the sequel, The Curse of the Cat People (1944), and original cover artwork by Graham Humphreys.

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