What we have here is basically a werewolf movie, with wolves replaced with leopards. As daft as it sounds, the switch is actually a successful one and Cat People is a breath of fresh air in the endless line of werewolf movies popular from 70s to the 80s.

Genre-wise the movie is listed as an erotic thriller, which mostly always is bad news, and a sure sign of a cheesy movie. There’s some cheese here as well, but fortunately Cat People is a thriller first, with some strong horror & gore elements added, and the erotic motives are just a sprinkle on the top.

Nastassja Kinski is a spot on casting here with her cat like appearance and movement, and John Heard is his always likeable self and plays his part in perfectly harmony to Kinski and the tone of the movie.

80s-o-meter: 85%

Total: 80%