The first horror film I am going to talk about is Jacques Tourneur's Cat People (1942) that was produced by Val Lewton (who produced many horror films and wrote the story on which Cat People is based). The movie focuses on Irena, a fashion designer, who falls in love with a man named Oliver. Irena is of Serbian descent and there is a legend in her hometown that the women become panthers when sexually aroused (known as Cat People). Irena is convinced that she is one of the Cat People but she is persuaded to marrying Oliver (the marriage is never consumated due to Irena's fear of killing Oliver in her panther state). Oliver convinces Irena to see a psychiatrist who tells her that her beliefs are due to a childhood trauma (her father dying under mysterious circumstances). Meanwhile, Oliver has been confiding in his assistant Alice about his martial problems. After Alice confesses her love to Oliver, Irena follows Alice and these lead to two of the most tense scenes in cinema:
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I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone, because I highly recommend that you see it (and the sequel!). A film technique called the Lewton Bus originated in this film (which is any time tension is dissipated with moment of surprise). What I really admire about this movie is it's use of a type psychological tension. I feel like to use of shadows and just noise can make the person wonder if everything that is happening is imagined. Everything is just the idea of Irena becoming a panther, it is never confirmed visually. And of course, your imagination is the best assest for building tension. This is where the 80s remake failed my opinion. Everything is shown and to the extreme. I think this story is better represented in a quieter and more reserved way.
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