History Film / CatPeople

* LackOfEmpathy: Though Oliver respects Irena's requests for a lack of intimacy, he can't wrap his mind around why she insists until the truth becomes apparent at the end of the film. Somewhat justified in that most people ''would'' think their spouse was a little nuts for believing they'd turn into a deadly animal if they were so much as kissed.

* AnimalsHateHer: The kitten Oliver buys for Irena hisses when she approaches it; when they go to the pet store to exchange it for a bird all the animals become agitated. Later, the bird dies of fright when Irena picks it up. Lampshaded by the pet store worker:

There was also a 1982 remake, directed by Creator/PaulSchrader and starring Creator/MalcolmMcDowell and Creator/NastassjaKinski; it was more of what would later be called a "reimagining" than a straight remake, as it made Irena the protagonist rather than Oliver, introduced a new male co-lead in the form of her brother Paul, and changed the cat people's origins from medieval witchcraft to prehistoric HumanSacrifice. It was also a great deal [[BloodierAndGorier bloodier]] and more [[HotterAndSexier salacious]] than the original, and generally preferred to show what the original merely suggested. It's also notable for the soundtrack, a collaboration between Music/GiorgioMoroder and Music/DavidBowie.

* CatScare: A pioneering example in the original, often claimed (especially by the makers) to be the first using the brakes of a bus to make a sound very like the hissing of a great cat. Further uses would become known as Lewton's Bus.

* NeverASelfMadeWoman: Interestingly played, especially for the time period. Irena has a job of her own as an illustrator, but once she's married, she has no life outside of her relationship with Ollie and [[spoiler: her eventual death could be interpreted as a suicide now that she can't be with him anymore]]. Alice meanwhile, the 'right' girl has her own career and interests - and had no ill will towards the man she loved marrying another woman - only confessing her feelings once it was clear his relationship was failing.

** One of the most famous examples is the "Lewton Bus" scene, in which Alice is shown looking over her shoulder, walking faster and faster as the camera zooms in on her terrified face, before we are startled by a hiss. [[spoiler:It's actually the hydraulic brakes on a passing bus]]. This scene is still terrifying over 70 years later!

* SkepticNoLonger: Oliver spends the movie convinced Irena's fears are just superstitions...until he gets proof first hand.

* {{Epigraph}}: Two of them bookend the film. The opening one – from the movie's fictional Dr. Judd – is the page quote above. The closing one – taken from the fifth of Creator/JohnDonne's ''Holy Sonnets'' – read thusly:

Irena (Creator/SimoneSimon) is a Serbian woman living in America who believes that if she is ever kissed by a man, she will transform into a deadly panther due to a family curse brought on by medieval dabbling in witchcraft. Her American co-workers try to persuade her otherwise, including Oliver Reed (Creator/KentSmith), who wants to marry her. Turns out, she's right and they're wrong.

Spawned a sequel ([[InNameOnly kind of]]) in 1944, ''The Curse of the Cat People'', which follows two of the characters from the first film and (apparently) a third one who had seemed to be dead at its end; it didn't really deal with the "cat people" angle at all, and dropped the "dangerous sexuality" theme in favor of exploring the importance of childhood imagination. It's not even in the same genre as the original, being more of a drama about family life than a horror film. It's also notable as the directorial debut of Creator/RobertWise.

* MadonnaWhoreComplex: Actually a surprising inversion for a 1940s film. Irena is initially presented as the Whore to Alice's Madonna - the sexier exotic vamp to the all-American GirlNextDoor. But Irena is afraid of her own sexuality and has a sexless marriage with Ollie, which is one of the reasons their relationship falls apart. Alice is far more sexually forward - making declarations of love to Ollie and being quite fearless.
* MurderTheHypoteneuse: [[spoiler: Once Alice starts moving in on Oliver, Irena starts stalking her in panther form.]]

Classic 1942 horror film produced by Creator/ValLewton, directed by Creator/JacquesTourneur.

Spawned a sequel ([[InNameOnly kind of]]) in 1944, ''The Curse of the Cat People'', which follows two of the characters from the first film and (apparently) a third one who had seemed to be dead at its end; it didn't really deal with the "cat people" angle at all, and dropped the "dangerous sexuality" theme in favour of exploring the importance of childhood imagination. It's not even in the same genre as the original, being more of a drama about family life than a horror film. It's also notable as the directorial debut of Creator/RobertWise.

[[folder:Cat People (1942)]]

[[folder:The Curse of the Cat People (1944)]]

[[folder: Additional tropes from the 1982 remake of Cat People]]

* UnexplainedAccent: Dr Judd is said to have some Eastern European heritage, but speaks with Tom Conway's English accent.

* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Oliver asks this himself after Alice's [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove pours her heart out to him]].

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Dr. Judd, who turns out to be more interested in seducing Irena that curing her.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Dr. Judd, who gets killed after he arguably takes advantage of Irena's situation.]]

* ShrugTake: Alice on her way to the apartment pool sees a kitten hissing in fear, having just encountered [[AnimalsHateHer Irena]]. Not realizing this, Alice shrugs and keeps walking.

Irena (Creator/SimoneSimon) is a Serbian woman living in America who believes that if she is ever kissed by a man, she will transform into a deadly panther due to a family curse brought on by medieval dabbling in witchcraft. Her American co-workers try to persuade her otherwise, including a man who wants to marry her. Turns out, she's right and they're wrong.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rose,w_cat_people1942.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:200:[[RussianReversal In this movie, pussy eats you!]]]]

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/catpeople1982_7.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:200: 1982 remake]]

-->-- ''The Anatomy of Atavism - Dr. Louis Judd''

There was also a 1982 remake by Creator/PaulSchrader starring Creator/MalcolmMcDowell and Creator/NastassjaKinski; it was more of what would later be called a "reimagining" than a straight remake, as it made Irena the protagonist rather than Oliver, introduced a new male co-lead in the form of her brother Paul, and changed the cat people's origins from medieval witchcraft to prehistoric HumanSacrifice. It was also a great deal [[BloodierAndGorier bloodier]] and more [[HotterAndSexier salacious]] than the original, and generally preferred to show what the original merely suggested. It's also notable for the soundtrack, a collaboration between Music/GiorgioMoroder and Music/DavidBowie.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Dr. Judd.]]

* BettyAndVeronica: Alice and Irena.

* HollywoodHistory: Irena's tale involves one King John of Serbia who freed Serbia from "the Mamelukes". Well, there was a "King"--or rather an "Emperor"--John, but he fought the Hungarians during the Ottoman invasion and a subsequent Hungarian War of Succession in an effort to carve out his own Serbian kingdom--not the Mamelukes (who were Egyptians of Circassian origin and never actually fought Serbs). He also didn't rule very long--ultimately his rule wound up letting the Turks conquer most of Serbia...

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Serbian immigrant Irena is played by French actress Simone Simon, who doesn't attempt to hide her French accent.

* OurWerebeastsAreDifferent: Humans turning into panthers in sexual situations.

Irena is a Serbian woman living in America who believes that if she is ever kissed by a man, she will transform into a deadly panther due to a family curse brought on by medieval dabbling in witchcraft. Her American co-workers try to persuade her otherwise, including a man who wants to marry her. Turns out, she's right and they're wrong.

* AnimalsHateHer: The kitten Oliver buys for Irena hisses when she approaches it; when they go to the pet store to exchange it for a bird all the animals become agitated. Later, the bird dies of fright when Irena picks it up. Lampshaded by the pet store worker: "[[EvilDetectingDog Animals are ever so psychic]]. There are some people who just can't come in here."

* ChekhovsGun: The key to the panther's cage.

* DeathOfTheHypotenuse: [[spoiler:Irena's]] death resolves the dilemma of the LoveTriangle.

* FourthDateMarriage: Oliver and Irena.

* HollywoodPsych: A shrink in the original tries to convince Irena that her belief that she'll turn into a great cat if a man kisses her is just a delusion fostered by fear of male sexuality. He tries this out with a... ''practical demonstration''. [[spoiler: It doesn't work out the way he thought it would.]]

* LoveTriangle: Between Irena, Alice and Oliver. The dilemma is being resolved via DeathOfTheHypotenuse.

* NothingIsScarier: One of the most famous examples is the "Lewton Bus" scene, in which Alice is shown looking over her shoulder, walking faster and faster as the camera zooms in on her terrified face, before we are startled by a hiss. [[spoiler:It's actually the hydraulic brakes on a passing bus]]. This scene is still terrifying over 70 years later!

* {{Sensual Slav|s}}: Irena comes across as this at first.

* SkepticNoLonger: Oliver by the end of the movie.

* {{Yandere}}: Averted; though a jealous Ilena follows Alice twice in a sinister manner and even looks ready to [[NightSwimEqualsDeath kill her while she's taking a swim]], [[spoiler:not to mention apparently appearing to Alice and Oliver as a panther ready to kill them both]] she only scares her.