The Shadow of the
Cat
Director: John Gilling
Year: 1961
Rating: 6.5
Fairly nifty British period (early 1900's) crime horrorish film that feels
like something out of Hammer but in fact was produced by B.H.P.** Film using
Hammer facilities and some talent from Hammer. Director John Gilling was to
go on to make a number of good Hammer films and actors Andre Morell and Barbara
Shelley are familiar to Hammer fans as well. I have always gotten along with
cats, but they get a bad rap for not being loyal to their owners like dogs
are. So it is nice to see a cat portrayed as loyal to its owner even after
she is dead and buried. Deadly loyal. Lesson learned. Don't kill someone
in front of their cat because that is what happens here. They come to regret
it. An elderly husband kills his wealthy wife with the help of his two servants
and they begin to become obsessed (echoes of Edgar Allan Poe) with killing
the only witness - the cat.
But killing a cat is not so easy and so they bring in three more avaricious
family members to help out. The cat is just thirsting for revenge - watching,
waiting. As foolish as this sounds it is well-acted, excellently shot (by
Arthur Grant who shot a bunch of Hammer films), claustrophobic atmosphere
and gives off more tension than you might expect. The lovely Barbara Shelley
is the only member of the family who doesn't have a reservation waiting for
them in Hell and plays the niece of the dead woman come for a visit.
** - considered as part of the Hammer filmography by some
