Aka - Cat Woman

Enjoyable atmospheric low budget English programmer that may likely have been influenced by Lewton's Cat People but still manages to stand on its own primarily due to the performance of Barbara Shelley. Lots of fog, shadows, growls in the dark and Shelley. She is so beautiful here - and coldly cruel. This was near the beginning of her well-respected place in horror films as she was to make a few for Hammer and others. This is not Hammer but a small production company named Insignia. Horror was still not really a big part of English films - due to some degree to their strict censorship. But Hammer was coming. The film could have gone for a lot more scares but is satisfied keeping it short - 68 minutes - with a focus on eerie rather than gore. But if you have a leopard it seems you should let it have a few more kills.

 
Leonora (Shelley) is asked to come to the creepy house of her uncle inhabited by him, an elderly maid, lots of statues of leopards and a live leopard. She brings along her cad of a husband and two guests who you would like to drown in a river. The husband is on the make with the female guest whenever his wife isn't looking. The uncle brings her into his study and gives her the good news. You are cursed. The family is cursed. For 700 years. We all have a beast within us. Literally. We like the taste of blood and the scent of the kill. Well, that certainly puts her at her ease. Next he has the leopard kill him and this officially passes the curse on to her. That is a bit of a burden but then when you catch your husband cheating doesn't it feel good. A psychiatrist tries to help her by telling her it is all in her head. And maybe it is. And maybe it isn't.  Nicely done with a very small budget and a leopard on loan. Mainly worth watching for Shelley who goes through a lot of emoting. When she tracks a woman down the dark alleyways - sticking to the shadows - with a satisfied smile on her face and yells kill, kill - it is a wonderful moment.