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This early role for Barbara Shelley (in fact, her first in Britain after working in Italy), was made when she was 24 years old, and it's certainly safe to say that she made a stunning debut in 1957's "Cat Girl." While blondes and brunettes get most of the attention (I'll always cherish Yutte Stensgaard), the lovely auburn-haired actress with the deep voice always exuded intelligence as well as vulnerability (one such example being 1960's "Village of the Damned," in which her screen time was much less than her character's husband, George Sanders). She is the sole reason for viewing this drab update of "Cat People," and is seen to great advantage throughout (it would be difficult to fathom if her beauty ever found a better showcase). Her character apparently sleeps in the nude, and we are exposed to her luscious bare back when she is awakened (also exposed 8 years later in 1965's "Rasputin-The Mad Monk"). The ravishing gown she wears during most of the film is a stunning strapless wonder (I don't see what held that dress up, but I'd sure like to). All in all, proof positive that Barbara Shelley, in a poorly written role that would defeat most actresses, rises above her material and makes the film consistently watchable, a real test of star power, which she would find soon enough at Hammer studios for the duration of the 1960s.

The 1942 Val Lewton film, CAT PEOPLE, is considered by man to be a classic. Without really showing but implying, the film tells a compelling story of a strange lady who swears she is afflicted with a curse that turns her into a killing cat. When she is jealous, in particular, she is becomes this cat and kills. Even though she has a loving and caring husband, when she thinks he's being unfaithful, she strikes.

In most ways, THE CAT GIRL is CAT PEOPLE with the plot rearranged just a bit. In THE CAT GIRL, a lady becomes a leopard AND controls a killing leopard--whenever she wills it or becomes jealous. In this film, she really does have LOTS of reason to doubt her husband's faithfulness and he's one of the first to be torn apart by the leopard. Like CAT PEOPLE, the deaths might just be the result of a runaway big cat and the viewer isn't sure if the leading lady really is cursed or just crazy! And, because of this strange conviction, both ladies are treated by well-meaning therapists bent on ridding her of this obsession.

As I pointed out, the plots have a lot of similarity. The biggest differences are that THE CAT GIRL is less subtle. Its showing her as she sees her hands turn to silly paws and the fuzzy image of her as a cat is pretty silly and would have been better had these scenes not been used. That is the big strength of CAT PEOPLE--such silly gimmicks and costuming isn't used--the idea is that more is less and that is definitely true. Also, CAT PEOPLE is a better film because its main character, Simon Simone, was likable and hated her curse--whereas in this film, the lady was a selfish and nasty piece of work--making it harder to connect or care about her. On top of all this, THE CAT GIRL certainly lacks the originality and freshness of CAT PEOPLE.

Despite its shortcomings, is this film worth seeing? Robert Ayres' character, Dr. Marlow, certainly isn't great. He lacks conviction and believability--being rather controlled and who would believe that a psychiatrist would treat an old flame--particularly after she tells him she loves him and wants him. Only an idiot would continue treating such a person themselves. This is a big problem with the plot. On the other hand, the film generally does a good job of setting the mood and is eerie. So, overall I'd say that this is just a mediocre copy of the original with nothing over the first film. However, if you just couldn't get enough of CAT PEOPLE and insist on seeing this sort of thing again, they by all means it's worth watching.

Cat Girl (1957)

** (out of 4)

AIP remake of Val Lewton's CAT PEOPLE has Leonora Johnson (Barbara Shelley) returning to her home place with two friends and her new husband. At the house her uncle informs her that the family is cursed by having the power of turning into a leopard and that she's next in line to get it. If you see the AIP icon pop up at the start of the movie and expect nothing more than dumbness with a bad monster outfit then you'd be partially right. This isn't a good movie but I tip my hat to the producer's for at least trying to do a psychological horror film instead of just a monster running around in a bad mask type of film. The first forty-minutes of the film are pretty dark as our main character battles her family and her unfaithful husband as she slowly starts to lose her mind thinking that she does have the power to turn into a killing machine. After the forty-minute mark we turn into some cheap AIP stuff, which includes a couple transformation sequences were we get to see the title character. The outfit is pretty un-scary but I must admit that I liked the look of it and found it rather cute, which was strange considering I don't like cats. The outfit and its small hands looking so cute is obviously one reason why I didn't find the thing scary. The biggest problem with the film is that they do try for the psychological stuff but fail pretty badly. There's really nothing creepy about the film and there's never really any scene that even makes you tense up. That's not good when you're watching a film like this but director Shaughnessy at least knows how to build some mild atmosphere by keeping the lights off and everything dark and moody. Shelley, who had yet to make a big name for herself in the genre, turns in a decent performance but the screenplay really doesn't do her much good. Robert Ayres, Kay Callard and Ernest Milton round out the cast but none of them exactly jump off the screen. The film, thanks to the title, is a reworking of CAT PEOPLE but I think it actually has a lot more in common with Lewton's THE LEOPARD MAN. There are even moments towards the end where the character is having a mental breakdown, which will make people think of the Larry Talbot character from Universal's THE WOLF MAN. Either way, this film isn't in any of their league so it's only recommended to those who must watch every horror film from this period.

A disturbed young woman (future genre stalwart Barbara Shelley) grudgingly accepts her feline legacy. Imitation CAT PEOPLE (1942) that attempts to have its cake and eat it too: just as the preliminary backdrop of a creaky mansion is traded for an urban milieu during the film's second half, a tangible menace – a pet leopard who feasts on its willing master (Shelley's batty uncle)! – is offset throughout by bouts of cod psychology – courtesy of neglected wife Shelley's long-suffering suitor of a medico. Not too badly done as these things go, but the lack of originality hurts the overall effort. While the running-time on IMDb is given at 76 minutes (and downloading websites seem to offer both 69 and 72-minute versions), the copy I watched – acquired off "You Tube" – ran for only 65 minutes, and even featured inordinately long transitions between scenes!

This film is a 1950s updating of Val Lewton's CAT PEOPLE. In this adaptation, Barbary Shelley's character of Lenora inherits the family curse of turning into a wild animal at night and controlling the killing nature of a leopard on the loose. While this is not in the same league CAT PEOPLE, it is nonetheless a nice low budget effort with great atmosphere, good suspense and a decent leading performance from Shelley in the werewolf-like role. I was slightly disappointed however by Robert Ayres rather stiff performance as Dr. Brain Marlowe.

Val Lewton's "Cat People", and its immediate sequel "Curse of the Cat People", are two of the greatest horror tales ever told; - period. That statement isn't even debatable. The 1982 cult-remake, directed by Paul Schrader and starring Nastassja Kinski, may be tremendously popular among a loyal group of fans, but personally I never felt too much affection for it. What few people know, however, is that there exists another obscure and modest, but very worthwhile version of the same story. A British version, moreover!

"Cat Girl" may not be the best film ever (if not, it would be as famous as the other ones) but many, many aspects are truly terrific. It was Barbara Shelley's first horror film, and she would later become Hammer Studios strongest leading lady. Her character, Leonora, has severe personal issues even long before she finds out she has an ancestral curse placed upon her. Leonora is a cynical, introvert and sexually repressed woman by nature. Her husband unsubtly cheats, but she doesn't love him anyways. She still loves her crush from her teenage years, but he's happily married and only has a medical interest in her. When Leonora's uncle then persuades her that she turns into a murderous feline creature at night, she loses complete mental and physical control.

Tedious in place, unfortunately, but also beneficing from a couple of powerful and unforgettable moments. The most notable, according to yours truly, is the tense and long-anticipated verbal confrontation between Leonora and Dorothy; - the wife. "What have you got against me?". "Isn't it obvious? I'm in love with your husband". "But he's married to me". "Yes, ... but only till death do you part". What a fantastic piece of dialogue, perfectioned by the genuinely cattish intrigue between the two.

As if the title wasn't a dead giveaway, The Cat Girl is a fifties version of the 1942 Jacques Tourneur classic Cat People; although ironically it shares more in common with the 1982 remake as to how the idea of a woman turning into a cat blends with the plot line. The film was made in 1957 so by today's standards is still pretty tame, but much less is left to the imagine than was the case with the earlier 1942 film, and this one certainly is a brash take on the subject. However, in doing away with the subtlety of Tourneur's film, The Cat Girl also loses a lot in the way of intrigue. The plot focuses on a young woman named Leonora Brandt. Leonora is the unlucky recipient of a family curse, which means that she turns into a bloodthirsty leopard at night…or at least so she is told. leonora begins to believe that the curse is real and sees herself changing during times of high stress; but it's never really clear whether what is happening is real or just inside her head.

As was the case with the Cat People, the film relies a lot on atmosphere and director Alfred Shaughnessy ensures that the film always feels very sinister feel about it and a few key scenes in particular are real highlights in that respect; although nothing in the film reaches the highs of the swimming pool scene in Jacques Tourneur's film. Barbara Shelley (who would go on to make a number of Hammer Horror films) takes the lead role and does rather well with it; she successfully manages to convey her character's emotions throughout the film. Her performance is not matched by the plot, however, as it moves rather sluggishly and the curse itself is never really explored. Of course, we didn't find out a great deal about the curse in Cat People; but that film kept all of its cards close to its chest so it didn't feel improper; which is not the case here. The film boils down to an interesting and well done ending and while it's slightly unfair to compare it to Cat People; that is the obvious film to compare it to...although The Cat Girl is a decent little film in its own right.

And that's about the last positive thing you can say about this super-cheap sub-Hammer remake of Val Lewton's The Cat People, distinguished, so to speak, by the entire cast -- none of the rest of whom I recognized -- having posh accents. Is Miss Shelley crazy and killing people, or is she turning into a giant cat and killing? Enquiring minds may want to know, but I guess mine isn't enquiring.

Out of Insignia Films, Cat Girl is a cheap British variant on Jacques Tourneur's Cat People from 15 years earlier. Plot basically finds Barbara Shelley as Leonora Brandt, a woman seemingly the victim of a family curse that turns her into a killer Leopard when disturbed emotionally. Naturally her psychiatrist Dr. Brian Marlowe (Robert Ayres) is positive that she's suffering mental illness, this in spite of the evidence suggesting otherwise. As the bodies begin to pile up and Dr. Marlowe takes Leonora under his wing, something is going to give come the finale.

Directed by Alfred Shaughnessy and photographed by Peter Hennessy, it's a picture that doesn't lack for moody atmosphere. The Brandt family home is a creepy looking place, a sort of rectory type establishment, this forms the backdrop for the first half of the piece as it dallies in old dark house conventions. With barmy uncle and pessimistic housekeeper thrown in for good measure. Then it's a switch to a sanitarium in preparation for the tense finale that takes place out on the dank and dimly lighted streets.

Some decision making by the doctor is hard to swallow, as is his approach to mental illness come to think of it, while there's some poor acting away from future Hammer Horror darling Shelley, but it does well with its minimal budget funding. Yes it makes you appreciate even more the brilliance of Tourneur and Musuraca back in 1942, yet there's a fun time to be had with this one if accepting it on its own modest eerie terms. 6/10

Barbara Shelley's first horror movie (and it's not by Hammer!) is a loose (unacknowledged) remake of the Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur 1942 classic Cat People, about a woman returning to her ancestral home to claim an inheritance, only to find that there is a family curse of being possessed by the spirit of a leopard.

The cast are okay - but Shelley's class (and beauty) stand out a mile (hard to believe she was only 25 at the time). A couple of nice scenes, but - Shelley notwithstanding - it's not a patch on the original. 5/10.

Leonora (Barbara Shelley) travels to the home of her uncle with her jackass of a husband, Richard (Jack May) and another couple named Allan and Cathy (John Lee and Paddy Webster). As the evening wears on, it becomes clear that this will be no ordinary visit.

Leonora has been summoned in order to receive her inheritance, but it's not in the form of money or property. What her uncle bestows on her is in actuality a curse.

CAT GIRL is a different take on the classic movie CAT PEOPLE. While some of the same sexual tension is on display, especially between Richard and Cathy, it's more overt. Being the 1950's, the story is more of an obvious monster movie, whereas the original was more subtle, and left more to be pondered. Proof of this comes during the obligatory "transformation sequences", when the word "werecat" jumps to mind! Still, it isn't a bad movie, as long as one isn't expecting Jacques Tourneur...

Obviously inspired by Jacques Tourneur's classic Cat People, this British horror stars Barbara Shelley as Leonora, who is summoned to the home of her uncle, where she is told that she is to inherit the family curse: at night, her spirit will enter the body of a leopard and kill. At first she is convinced that her uncle is mad, but after he is killed by the escaped leopard he once kept in his home, she begins to feel uncontrollable animalistic urges, and commands the big cat to fatally attack her unfaithful husband Richard (Jack May).

Convinced that Leonora is losing her grip on reality, psychiatrist Brian (Robert Ayres), an old flame, takes the woman to London for treatment in a sanitarium. After a few days, he checks her into a hotel and arranges for her to spend the day with his wife Dorothy (Kay Callard); however, Leonora is still in love with Brian, and plans to get rid of Dorothy the same way she dealt with Richard.

Much of this film is told in an ambiguous manner, director Alfred Shaughnessy showing the viewer the prowling beast but at the same time suggesting the distinct possibility that the leopard is all in Leonora's mind, a product of her worsening mental state. Of course, this is a horror film, so come the ending, it is made abundantly clear that the curse is very real and that Leonora is indeed supernaturally connected to the killer cat. The final act, in which Dorothy is stalked down dark London streets by Leonora and the leopard is suitably tense, but owes a lot to Cat People: if you're a fan of Tourneur's film, then this one will definitely be worth your time, if only to contrast and compare.

Although similar in many ways to the movie "Cat People" from 1942, this was still a splendid little film in its own right. Essentially, "Leonara 'Brandt' Johnson" (Barbara Shelley) has inherited an infliction from her uncle which causes her soul to transform into a leopard at night which kills those she doesn't like. She confides to her ex-boyfriend (who happens to be a psychiatrist) and he convinces her to be admitted into a sanitarium in London for treatment. But even though she has left her uncle's estate and traveled to London she cannot escape her curse. At any rate, while this is a rather short movie it manages to give a good account of itself in spite of the time constraints. As a side note, I enjoyed the performance of Barbara Shelley as she managed to keep things interesting with both her talent and her looks. Definitely worth a watch for fans of this genre and I rate the movie as slightly above average.

Fast paced, atmospheric British version of Lewton's The Cat People. Cat Girl even includes a scene between the protagonist and a caged bird, as in Lewton's film, and an attempt to recreate one of the famous "Lewton walks"; here, in which a ferocious cat woman/leopard pursues a sexual rival through dark alleys and streets via shadowy tracking shots.

While Cat Girl (the credits don't include the "The") never reaches anywhere near the heights of The Cat People, it is surprisingly solid and suspenseful. Well worth a look for fans of 40s and 50s American and British horror.

My spoiler free review for The Bloody Asylum that can be found at WordPress, Mr Geeky blog:

This is without a doubt Barbara Shelley's best film. She is quite rightly known as "The First Leading Lady of British Horror", and so obviously has a great love of the horror films she appeared in and the fans.

"When I first started doing Hammer (films) all the so-called classic actors looked down on horror films. There is a great thrill for me having done Hammer (films) and being known. All the other things I did nobody remembers those, but the horror films I'm very grateful to them because they built me a fan base and I'm very touched that people will come and ask for my autograph." - Barbara Shelley

I initially came across this almost forgotten British horror film, that deserves to be called a classic, about 10 years ago on the UK Horror channel, and it instantly became one of my favorite films. Many horror fans will be well aware of Val Lewton and Jacques Tourner's 1942 masterpiece Cat People, and that it was remade by Paul Schrader in 1982. However, the majority of horror fans will maybe not be aware of this unofficial remake released in 1957. Sadly it has been overshadowed by the far more high profile Hammer Films of the era, their first horror film Curse of Frankenstein was actually released in the same year.

Cat Girl stars Barbara Shelley in her debut lead role in a feature film after she spent a few years in Italy in supporting roles. She returned to England when she felt she was only ever going to play lesser supporting roles. This was to be a great move as it led to her starring in Cat Girl and a number of classic British horror films, such as The Gorgon (1964), Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966), Rasputin The Mad Monk (1966), Quatermass and the Pit (1967), and her most famous film Village of the Damned (1960). However, Cat Girl is quite possibly her crowning glory. A remake that does justice to the original film and its sequel Curse of the Cat People, yet has a completely different feel to those films and does something different with the source material. Feeling as different as Paul Schrader's 1982 version of Cat People does to the original and the sequel.

Cat Girl is an almost psychological character study that at its core explores mental illness, with Barbara Shelley in a career best, giving one of the unsung great screen performances. She perfectly depicted the gradual psychological breakdown of her character who is possibly a victim of a family curse. What the film does beautifully is balance this standard horror trope with a serious and intelligent exploration of mental illness. As with the original films there are no special effects, instead the actors performances, primarily a scene stealing Barbara Shelley, along with the incredible cinematography and production design create the atmosphere of dread and horror. At times it has more of a gothic horror feel and look that shares more in common with James Whale's Frankenstein films, particularly Bride of Frankenstein, possibly an homage by the film-makers. Cat Girl is far more graphic than Cat People and Curse of the Cat People ever could be due to the strict Hays Code censorship, containing some extreme scenes for a film released in 1957. However, the majority of Cat Girl is still very much implied and has a similar ambiguity to Cat People.

It is unfair to even try to compare Cat Girl to Cat People, because how can a masterpiece ever be bettered. Cat Girl comes pretty damn close though. As with the original film it is a master-class in low budget film-making and a film that really does deserve to be as well known as the more famous versions.

For horror fans who are looking for a thoughtful and intelligent classic horror film Cat Girl is very highly recommended.

A genuinely creepy, scary, and disturbing psychological horror film.

British unofficial remake of the classic Cat People (1942) starring Scream Queen Barbara Shelley as Leonora, an unhappily married young woman who inherits a family curse along with her ancestors estate, The film opens at her eccentric uncle's creepy country house, her only living relative, with a storm raging outside, pure Gothic horror. When she, her unfaithful husband and two friends turn up one of the men asks "What is this place, a training school for ghouls?" There is an old German housekeeper called Anna (Lily Kann), she comes across as the female equivalent of a typical Bela Lugosi servant character. Shelly is brilliant in the title role and the rest of the cast aren't bad either. After a few big cat deaths Leonora goes to London for psychiatric treatment, culminating in a suspenseful, well filmed finale on the city's dark streets. First time watch for me and I was impressed.

Now this is a curse I can get behind! The inspiration taken from 1942's 'Cat people' is readily apparent, but to the credit of screenwriter Lou Rusoff, 'The cat girl' is unique enough to feel like its own beast. It's a swell, small bit of fun as troubled Leonora struggles with her family's legacy, and those around her mostly prove themselves to be less than meaningfully supportive. It's maybe not the most robustly gripping horror film in the world, but relative to many of its 50s contemporaries, it's gratifyingly earnest and well made. The production design and art direction, costume design and hair and makeup, lighting, and sparing effects (including sound effects) are all splendid. I quite like the cast, with Barbara Shelley certainly standing out most with the poise and nuance she demonstrates as protagonist Leonora.

More importantly, though the feature maintains a steady clip over its abbreviated length of just under 70 minutes, it still successfully invites a slight measure of atmosphere. Rusoff gives Leonora just enough depth and complexity to build tension, and more so when set against the unhelpful tenor of the other characters. The scene writing ably exercises that tension, alongside suitable variety, to propel the narrative as Leonora's state spirals. And, light as the plot is, it's modestly compelling, enough to keep one interested and engaged with the experience.

Compared to other pictures of a similar thrust (including even the aforementioned 'Cat people,' let alone its 1982 remake), it's safe to say that 'The cat girl' tends to lack the same utmost spark that would elevate it to another level. Even a more intense, focused character arc for Leonora would have greatly benefited the film; the genre element here is more thematic than actual. Still, even if it's not wholly essential, this is capably well done to earn a soft recommendation. Suggested for a lazy day rather than a block of time specifically set aside, this is a minor piece of horror cinema that even now is still moderately entertaining, and worth a casual look if you come across it.

A typical horror quickie of the fifties seething throughout with suppressed passion notable for introducing the amazing Barbara Shelley and her even more amazing eyebrows to the genre. Obviously based on 'Cat People', as if she didn't have enough on her plate she also has crazy old uncle who's a werewolf.