The Curse Of The Cat People (1944)

Starring Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph, Ann Carter, Eve March
Directed by Gunther V. Fritsch & Robert Wise
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The lonely young daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed takes on an imaginary friend who appears to her in the form of Irena, Reed's ill-fated first wife.

Although a sequel to the 1942 horror classic Cat People, and returning Simon, Smith, and Randolph, there are no references to Simon's curse from the first film, and the focus is on the screenplay's childhood drama, brought to vivid life in a believable performance by young Ann Carter.  That's not to say there aren't dark moments or fantasy elements, with the film set in the legendary Sleepy Hollow, and Simon's appearances well captured through Nicholas Musuraca's excellent photography. Part of me is regretful that producer Val Lewton didn't see fit to crafting a more direct horror sequel to Cat People, but what he's brought to us instead deserves many accolades as a finely etched portrait of a child's imaginative spirit.  Another plus is the performance of calypso singer and RKO contract player Sir Lancelot, who has one of his most charming roles for the studio as the Reeds' kindly housekeeper.

Cat People (1942)

Starring Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph, Jack Holt
Directed by Jacques Tourneur
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A ship designer falls for an exotic Serbian sketch artist, but although they agree to marry, she is tormented by a fear that she is descended from the evil cat people of her village.

Producer Val Lewton's first in a series of horror films for RKO Pictures that aimed to build terror through shadow and suggestion rather than with onscreen frights, it's my favorite of his pictures, and arguably the best of the bunch.  Very well scripted by DeWitt Bodeen, and effectively staged by director Tourneur, it's a genuine classic with a fine performance by Simon and some wonderfully suspenseful scenes including Simon's silent stalking of Randolph on a dark street at night and in an unoccupied swimming pool.  Although the integration of Simon with a real-life panther could have been handled better in my opinion, there's not much else to criticize, except that Lewton's follow-ups never quite had the same impact as this film.