Review of The Curse of the Cat People

In this sequel to "Cat People" Oliver and Alice, now married, have a young daughter called Amy, an imaginative child (well played by Ann Carter) who seems eerily more like Irena's daughter than Alice's. However, despite a creepy mansion with an eccentric old woman and her possibly murderous daughter, this really isn't a horror movie, not even in the understated sense of "Cat People." It is more of a character study of the sensitive, dreamy Amy and an eloquent plea on behalf of imaginative introverts everywhere. Amy is misunderstood by her devoted, but overly prosaic father—his heavy handed nagging of Amy to abandon her dream world and make real friends recalls his hearty, patronizing dismissal of Irena's legends of the Serbian cat people. Irena herself appears as a sort of guardian spirit to Amy that compensates for her unsympathetic father who grows more impatient and bullying as the film progresses. In fairness to Oliver, he is convinced that Irena's obsession with the cat people drove her insane and he is fearful that his daughter may come to the same fate. But—and this is another major difference from the first film—unlike the cat people legend Amy's runaway imagination is presented as essentially benign, even if it does occasionally led to misunderstandings with other children; in fact, it ultimately saves her from being strangled by old woman's resentful daughter. By the end of the movie, Amy and her father have reconciled, Oliver, if not entirely believing Amy's flights of fancy at least recognizing that he needs to be more of an understanding friend to his daughter.

All in all, a film that is probably particularly resonant with those of us who can recall being told to put the book down and go outside and play with the other kids.