The Cat Creature

The Cat Creature (1973)

** (out of 4)

An antique collector dies and soon afterwards a thief steals a gold amulet with the face of a cat on it. Soon several people who come in contact with it are murdered or commit suicide, which leads a detective and a college professor into the investigation. THE CAT CREAURE comes from director Curtis Harrington and writer Robert Bloch and it features an all-star cast but in the end you can't help but see this as being pretty minor. The biggest problem is the story, which has a few interesting ideas but nothing good is ever done with it. I thought the film got off to an extremely good start and the ending was good but everything in the middle was pretty much a bore. The entire investigation just seems so one note and there's never any energy behind it. Even with such a short running time the film really did drag badly in spots, which is a real shame because there are some good things here. One such thing is the alternate way of looking at the legend of a mummy and the curse that comes with it. The actual look of the mummy was good and I also thought the film did a good job with how the cats were used. I'm not going to spoil what happens at the end but it's actually a nice little twist. Another good thing is that the cast is great. We get Meredith Baxter doing a good job playing a woman who gets involved with the case and David Hedison is also good as the college professor. Gale Sondergaard (THE BLACK CAT '41), Keye Luke, Kent Smith, Stuart Whitman and Peter Lorre, Jr. are also in the cast and are fun to see. Then we have the great John Carradine in a quick minute role but he gets to act along side a prostitute midget so here's another weird one for the actor's filmmography. THE CAT CREATURE has a few bright ideas but sadly they never really materialize into anything watchable. Fans of the cast might want to check it out but others should stay clear.

This was another ABC television movie. Great modern take on the old Egyptian mummy curse idea. When the movie opens, the appraiser is going through the late millionaire's collection of Egyptian artefacts, some of which might have been smuggled. We are left to assume that the collector simply died from natural causes. We don't see the collector in the movie at all. We're given a quick overview of why the appraiser is there and that's it.

The murders don't start until a thief steals the heavy gold amulet from around the mummy's neck, if you remember. Said mummy was a priestess from the cult of Bast, the cat goddess, and the amulet was meant to imprison the spirit of the priestess.

Elements of the old detective story are blended with the supernatural in this tale. We are kept guessing until the very end as to the identity of the mysterious killer.

Great special effects in the scene when David Hedison finally has the showdown with the cat creature!

An Egyptian mummy protected from reincarnating as a vampire with eternal life is set free. Mysterious deaths follow, with bodies drained of blood and claw marks on their throat. The police are mystified, but with the help of a professor, things begin to crystalize. The movie is extremely atmospheric, especially in regards to a mystic, Gale Sondergaard, who owns a magic shop. She absolutely is the best thing in "The Cat Creature" and steals every scene she is in. The story itself does hold a surprise, once the police figure out the significance of a solid gold amulet. Creepy in a way that doesn't rely on C.G.I. or jump scares, the movie can be enjoyed for it's mysterious storyline and the significant presence of a great actress from the past. - MERK

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.

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).