Saturday, October 25, 2025, 2 p.m., Dryden Theatre
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Cat People
(Jacques Tourneur, US 1942, 73 min., 35mm)
Curse of the Cat People
(Gunther von Fritsch and Robert Wise, US 1944, 70 min., 35mm)
In the 1940s, there was a shift toward more realistic portrayals and shooting on location, but there was also a corresponding move toward the fantastic. In these two Val Lewton–produced horror/suspense films, Irene (Simone Simon) is haunted by legends from her European upbringing about young women who turn into predatory felines when sexually aroused. Despite this, she falls in love and plans to marry a man she met at the zoo. The curse is not limited to Irene, however, and in the second film, a young girl is visited by imaginary friends and threatened by her neighbor’s daughter.