Die Katzengöttin

An old attorney is in charge of cataloging a wealthy estate and is later found murdered near a mummy sarcophagus. On the case is Lt. Marco (Stuart Whitman), who quickly finds out that an amulet of Baast, the Egyptian cat goddess, was stolen. He enlists the help of Prof. Roger Edmonds (David Hedison) and they soon find themselves centering on an occult shop run by Hester Black (Gale Sondergaard) and her new assistant Rena Carter (Meredith Baxter). She admits a thief (Keye Luke) came by to try and sell the amulet, but she turned him away as she is out of the fencing game. Meanwhile, folks all over L.A. are being murdered with cat-like scratches found on their bodies. This ABC Movie of the Week was a return to TV for director Curtis Harrington (after his theatrical features WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?, WHOEVER SLEW AUNITE ROO? and THE KILLING KIND). He definitely was looking to get into the Val Lewton mold a la THE CAT PEOPLE and it is pretty successful. The script by Robert Bloch moves quickly and there are some great performances in here. The best is Sondergaard as Hester Black, which might be one of the greatest names ever. Another interesting thing is Harrington, who was gay, fills the film with subtle gay moments (like Hester always asking her younger co-workers out for dinner and getting rejected).

I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid in 1973,and have looked for it for years. Recently found it on You Tube. I remember being impressed with the eeriness film and the scary visuals of the ending, even though you know who the priestess is. However, what lessens the films enjoyment for me seeing it again is the appearance of abuse of cats, with an unnecessary plot device of alley cats surrounding and eventually attacking the priestess. It appears the cats were starved to congregate around the victims and thrown onto the victims, a lot like what was done with rats in Willard. I am glad we live in more animal conscience times. 2.5 out of 4 stars

This is a very silly story, but I loved seeing a very young Meredith Baxter along with gothic/horror film regulars of the 30s and 40s such as John Carradine, Peter Lorre and Gale Sondergaard. Oh, and Charlie Chan's Number One Son Keye Luke.

This is one of the more entertaining made for tv movies. It sports a good cast and the story, that was inspired by Cat People, an excellent film in its own right, It has enough creepy moments to keep the viewer invested. The more violent parts were toned down for television audiences. That does not hurt the movie in any way though.

Meredith Baxter and John Carradine do a good job here but it is .Gale Sondergaard that really makes this movie as memorable as it is. David Hedison and Stuart Whitman do a good job with what they are given but they don't really stand out.

It is a fun horror with some good moments but limited by the made for tv format, Still it is wirth watching.

Several people, who have somehow come into contact with an amulet improperly elevated from the sarcophagus of an Egyptian mummy, are unaccountably but fatally assailed by a black cat. Not so much another CAT PEOPLE (1942) variation as a commendable addition to filmdom's mummy lore (courtesy of Robert Bloch); a cast of mostly old reliables helps add flavor to the familiar narrative. The film's leads are adequately filled with Meredith Baxter's deceptively innocent salesgirl and archaeologist David Hedison – who, naturally, fall for each other during the course of the narrative; sprucing up the rest of the 'dramatis personae' are world-weary cop Stuart Whitman, sinister proprietor of "The Sorceress" pawn shop Gale Sondergaard, solicitor Kent Smith (the male protagonist of the aforementioned Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur classic), alcoholic thief Sen Yung and even hotel clerk(!) John Carradine (although already pushing 70 by this time). I have a handful of unwatched made-for-TV genre efforts from director Harrington and I might get to include them in this year's Halloween marathon.