Leonora Johnson returns to her uncle's home where he tells her that she will inherit the family curse. The curse is a little baffling; is it having the ability to control cats, the ability to become an actual cat or or the the ability to inhabit the mind of a cat? It's a bit confusing. The curse does however turn her from a meek, controlled woman to a killer. The film is entertaining enough with some nice creepy moments.
Barbara Shelley as Leonora dominates the film and her change from controlled mildness to predatory murder is well portrayed. She is great as always but I will confess to being a Barbara Shelley-ite. In staid British films of the 1950's and 60's she repeatedly sizzled the screen with a singular sexiness. As Anna one also enjoyed Lily Kann, a performer adept at vaguely European gloomy old ladies. The rest of the cast are OK. The director Alfred Shaughnessy was more commonly a screenwriter but does well enough here.
There is also a beautiful leopard prowling perfectly in the film that unjustly doesn't get a credit. It's agent should have insisted.
Barbara Shelley as Leonora dominates the film and her change from controlled mildness to predatory murder is well portrayed. She is great as always but I will confess to being a Barbara Shelley-ite. In staid British films of the 1950's and 60's she repeatedly sizzled the screen with a singular sexiness. As Anna one also enjoyed Lily Kann, a performer adept at vaguely European gloomy old ladies. The rest of the cast are OK. The director Alfred Shaughnessy was more commonly a screenwriter but does well enough here.
There is also a beautiful leopard prowling perfectly in the film that unjustly doesn't get a credit. It's agent should have insisted.