Cat People (1942 Film) - References To Cat People

References To Cat People

Lewton accepted the assignment of producing a follow-up film called The Curse of the Cat People in 1944, which retained Kent Smith and Jane Randolph's characters, and showed Simone Simon either as a ghost or else as the imaginary friend of the couple's young daughter. A remake of the same name directed by Paul Schrader and starring Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, and John Heard was released in 1982.

Cat People is alluded to in a sequence in the 1952 film The Bad and The Beautiful. Jonathan Shields (played by Kirk Douglas) makes a name for himself as a producer with a low budget film called Doom of The Cat Men. The key to the success of the fictional film is said to be Shields' decision not to show the monsters, but to rely instead on darkness on screen and the imaginations of film goers to create fear when it becomes apparent that the costumes the studio has at hand would be unconvincing. Shields rejects an offer to produce a sequel to be called The Son of The Cat Man.

This film was referenced in the novel Kiss of the Spider Woman by Argentine novelist Manuel Puig, in which two inmates pass the time by discussing the films one of them has seen. Though this movie is not mentioned by name, and some of the details are not recalled accurately, the parallels to the plot, the mention of Jane Randolph as one of the stars, and the protagonist's name being Irena clearly indicate that Puig was referring to this film.