The Shadow of the Cat

1961
6.3| 1h19m| en| More Info
Released: 07 May 1961 Released
Producted By: Hammer Film Productions
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Tabitha, once the placid, gentle and devoted pet, adopts all the characteristics of a ferocious, wild animal following the murder of her mistress. The three guilty people are all trapped by the cat's power and each will come to untimely deaths of horrific proportions without anyone being able to solve the mystery that surrounds their brutal death.

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Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Micitype Pretty Good
Lawbolisted Powerful
CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Michael O'Keefe You can't go wrong with this one. An obvious Hammer Film Productions horror film directed by John Gilling. In the early 1900's, a wealthy, elderly Ella Venable (Catherine Lacey) is murdered in the attic of her manor house. The body is disposed of on the estate grounds. There is a witness to the killing and the burial; that witness is Ella's cat Tabitha.A police inspector and a newspaper man are summoned to the house to get clues on Ella's reported disappearance. There are some suspicions, since it is well known that Ella's husband Walter (Andre Morell) made her sign a will leaving him her fortune. But suspicion also lies in the maid (Freda Jackson) and the butler, of course, played by Andrew Crawford. Tabitha knows and has full comprehension of the dirty deed and she plans on her own revenge.The atmosphere, color, pacing...everything creepy is here for you to enjoy. Rounding out the cast: Barbara Shelley, Conrad Phillips, Richard Warner, William Lucas and Vanda Godsell.
Coventry "Shadow of the Cat" is a modest and often overlooked Hammer horror production, but simultaneously also an underrated and genuinely creepy gem that is guaranteed to deliver a compelling plot, a moody gothic atmosphere, competent performances from a bunch of Hammer regulars and more than a handful of silly but nevertheless sinister murders committed by (or at least initiated by) a vindictive cat named Tabitha! Moments after her beloved heiress Ella Venable read Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" to her, Tabitha the Cat witnesses how poor Ella gets murdered by her husband Walter and two household staff members. The faithful housecat promptly makes it clear that she will avenge her heiress and terrifies the culprits so badly that they must call in the help of more vicious family members. While six (!) people are desperately trying to annihilate the evasive cat, the good-hearted niece Beth begins to suspect that aunt Ella's disappearance and the sudden fear for the otherwise friendly animal might have something to do with a missing testament. Sure, it requires a large dose of "suspension of disbelief" to accept how unnaturally petrified these people are of a simple cat, but George Baxt's screenplay is clever and John Gilling's direction is professional enough for the film to remain suspenseful. Gilling made some of Britain's best and most nightmarish horror films, by the way, like "Plague of the Zombies" and "The Flesh and the Fiends".
The_Void Shadow of the Cat is a Poe-esquire horror film that focuses on a sinister animal - the domestic cat. The film begins with a reciting of the Edgar Allen Poe poem 'The Raven', and from there we begin to focus on the title animal. There is nothing about this film that officially suggests it has anything to do with Hammer studios, but the feel of the film is very much like Hammer and the fact that John Gilling - the man behind two of the best Hammer horror films, Plague of the Zombies and The Reptile - is the director means that it has something of an affinity with the studio. The plot focuses on the common Gothic horror theme of a family and an inheritance. The family here is the Venable family, and the story starts properly when a rich old woman is murdered by her relatives because they're after her inheritance. The only witness to the crime was the lady's pet cat, and while normally anyone committing murder in this way would get away with it scot-free, this particular cat takes exception to the murder of its owner and sets about exacting its own revenge.The plot is, of course, pretty far fetched, but it's handled well and John Gilling never lets it descend into the realms of ridiculousness when it comes to people being murdered by the cat. The cat itself looks sinister enough, and while it doesn't have the same menace as, say, the murderous moggy in Lucio Fulci eighties impression of The Black Cat, the acting from the feline side of the cast is mostly fine. The thick Gothic atmosphere is the film's main asset, and John Gilling achieves this through the black and white cinematography as well as the decor of the central location and many of the events that transpire. The film is very short at around seventy five minutes, but this doesn't matter too much as Gilling makes his point and doesn't let too many sub-plots interfere with that. Of course, this sort of story is rarely going to give way to a truly GREAT film, as there isn't enough of it; but the film moves along nicely for the duration, and the events that build up to the ending ensure that the film does what you would expect of it. Overall, I doubt too many people will be disappointed with this and any fan of British horror will want to check it out.
filmchap Tweetie Pie was one lucky little yellow canary, if only Slyvester had called Tabitha over for a holiday, Tweety would have stood no chance! Great treasure of a movie this one. Have just watched this film and it ended just minutes ago and I wanted to come on and say what a great atmospheric horror we have here. A true classic. As I and my fellow student mate sat up and watched this we both agreed that it was truely superb. Theres plenty of thrills, chills and fun to be had and I must also just add that as a massive cat lover I especially enjoyed it. A Great British classic to be discovered that I insist you search for.EnjoyPS Whats the matter, cat got your tongue!