Cat People 4K/UHD Review (Scream Factory)

Cat People is a 1982 supernatural horror film directed by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Obsession, Rolling Thunder, Hardcore, Raging Bull, American Gigolo, Auto Focus, and Light Sleeper). It was written by Alan Ormsby (Deathdream, Deranged, Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, Popcorn, and Porky’s II: The Next Day). It was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Beverly Hills Cop franchise, Bad Boys franchise, Days of Thunder, The Rock, Gemini Man, Top Gun, and Con Air). It’s a remake of the original 1942 feature. Irena (played by: Nastassja Kinski from Terminal Velocity, Father’s Day, Tess, and Paris, Texas), a beautiful young woman who discovers love for the first time with Oliver (played by: John Heard from Home Alone 1/2, C.H.U.D., Big, and Sharknado) only to find that the experience brings tragic consequences. The tremendous passion of this woman’s first romantic love is so strong, however, it bypasses the chaos around her – including the extraordinary demands of her brother (played by: Malcolm McDowell from A Clockwork Orange, Halloween, Evilenko, I Spy, Tank Girl, and Caligula) as it pushes her on to her own bizarre destiny!!!!Paul Schrader never gets enough credit as a filmmaker. He is mainly known as a screenwriter to most but don’t forget about his directing skills. Cat People is one of the rare remakes that is much better than the original version. This is one of Schrader;s brightest moments as a director. Cat People is a sexy thriller with some animal horror thrown in the mix. As I mention before, Schrader is no stranger when it comes to the written word and creative dialogue so when he lets someone else handle the main writing responsibilities you know it’s going to be something special. This one is no different, the screenplay elevates everything in this one. Nastassja Kinski was one of the most beautiful and breathe taking female leads from her time. You couldn’t take your eyes off her when she was on the screen. Malcolm McDowell always killed it when it came to villain and darker roles, this is one of his most under-appreciated performances in my opinion. Cat People had an impressive supporting cast with more than a few familiar faces in it. This one definitely brings you back to the 80’s with it’s look, production design, and score. This high quality reboot gets the 4K treatment it deserves from the great folks at Scream Factory. This one should be in every horror fans collection especially the ones that favor the animal horror sub-genre. RECOMMENDED!!!!Let’s talk about the high definition presentation and special features from Scream Factory! This new 2160p (1.85:1) transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is a solid upgrade compared to the original blu ray release. All the details, colors, and images are much sharper now. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 on this UHD disc. All of the dialogue is very clean, the thrills are elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It also has English SDH subtitles. “Audio Commentary” with Director Paul Schrader is the only extra on the UHD disc, the rest of the special features are located on the blu ray disc. It has an almost 6 minute “Interview” with actress Nastassja Kinski. It has a little over 8 minute “Interview” with actress Annette O’Toole. It has a little over 6 minute “Interview” with actor John Heard. It has a little over 7 minute “Interview” with Malcolm McDowell. It has an almost 6 minute “Interview” with Lynn Lowry. It has a little over 5 minute “”Interview” with composer Giorgio Moroder. It has a little over 9 minute “Interview” with director Paul Schrader. “An Intimate Portrait by Paul Schrader” is an additional 25 minute chat with the filmmaker. “On the Set with Director Paul Schrader” is a 10 minute behind the scenes look with the director. “Filmmaker Robert Wise on the Producer of the Original Cat People, Val Lewton” is a nice little 3 minute tribute from the producer for the original filmmaker behind Cat People. “Special Make Up Effects” is a 11 minute feature on the special fx with artist Tom Burman. “Matte Paintings” is a little over 3 minutes. It has some promotional material like a “Theatrical Trailer”, “Photo Gallery” and “Production Art”. It also has reversible cover art and a slipcover. If you already owned the previous collector’s edition on blu ray, there’s nothing new when it comes to the bonus features but that new transfer is worth it if you are a big fan of this one or don’t own that version. This collector’s edition is loaded and there’s so much to explore when it comes to this animal horror film. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!