The Cat Creeps

40's scare flick given a nice clean-up here. . beware of the cat.

Never saw before, worth checking out.

Terry Nichols, a wisecracking news reporter with a heart of gold, gets the assignment to investigate the claims of a murder that happened 15 years ago and the possible connection to senator Walter Elliot. His relationship with the senator's daughter Gay complicates matters but his professional curiosity gets the better of him. Together with his pal Pidge, Elliot's lawyer McGalvey, his assistant Connie and shady private investigator Ken Grady they leave for a small island off the coast where Elliot's older and crazy sister lives to get to the bottom of things.

That sister isn't alone though since she lives with a black cat. When the older sister is killed, suspicion rises that the spirit of the old woman has been absorbed by that darn cat. For a scant 60 minutes, the cast of the characters get to creep around the old house on the island to find out who murdered 15 years ago and if there's any truth in the rumour that 200. 000 dollars are hidden somewhere on that island. In reality, there is not too much tension. That's mainly due to the constant sarcastic and (sometimes slightly) sleazy banter between Nichols and his pal.

At times quite amusing, sometimes tiring, it makes this film less a scary horror movie and more of an 'old dark house' mystery with a comical undertone. Nothing wrong with the technical side of things, as the house/set is sufficiently spooky and atmospheric and the lighting (with a couple of scenes greatly utilising shadows on the wall in darkened rooms to…

Fun 40s horror involving cat possession. Great restoration of this classic. 4/5 stars!

Plot: A reporter and a photographer investigate a bizarre murder plot tied to a fortune, a remote estate, and a mysterious black cat rumored to possess the soul of a dead woman. It is widely noted as the final film of Universal's 1940s "Golden Age of Horror"