An Analysis of "Cat People"
by Aaron Davila
My viewing experience for viewing these films was a very unique, new experience for myself. I didn't ever really watch older movies or like to for that matter. Before this class, I hadn't seen any of the movies besides Jennifer's Body. My first attempt to view Cat People ended with me waking up to laughing roommates asking me what the heck I was watching. After seeing historical connections with movies later in the class and enjoying Psycho thoroughly in spite of its age, I was able to approach Cat People more enthusiastically. It was much better the second time around, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Personally, I found the movie more funny than scary, but I also think this would be the prevailing thought about it. Something about older movies (in spite of my newfound appreciation) makes them feel more of a novelty. Horror viewers of this era have been seasoned by the post-Hostel gore and the post-Paranormal Activity jump scares. The Cat People's attempts at horror usually elicited laughs from me along with thoughts of how people in the 40s were probably terrified. This is no fault to Cat People specifically. I feel that most, if not all, old black and white horror films would struggle to elicit fear from young adults of the present.
My roommate Ariel: "You should put this on your website haha."
Me: "I mean, why not?"
Nonetheless, I admittedly preferred the older movie to the remake. The changes in the storylines were pretty significant, and the remake's attempts to flesh out the background of the character's more ironically just made it more convoluted. It was cool to think about it as the woman having the ability to control her sexuality, as opposed to the rather grim inevitable destruction of all involved in the first. However, the first movie just felt more genuine to me and was subsequently more engrossing. My opinions didn't change after researching the film, because most people liked the first better and the research articles I found all were focused on the first film.
If I were a critic, I would definitely recommend this movie to others. In addition to being able to show off some historical and formal knowledge in likely the only situation outside of this project I'd be able to, it honestly is an entertaining film regardless of its fear factor. It tells a story that is still more or less unique today (although Jennifer's Body did tie in pretty well here) in a classic manner that makes you appreciate cinema your grandparents enjoyed -- even if like me you fall asleep or laugh a lot during it.