‘It will scare you out of your skin!’
The Cat Creeps is a 1946 American suspense thriller about a journalist and his photographer who attempt to research an unsolved death and locate a missing fortune, with the help of a black cat that appears to be possessed by the spirit of a dead woman.
Directed by Erle C. Kenton (House of Dracula; House of Frankenstein; The Ghost of Frankenstein; Island of Lost Souls) from a screenplay written by Edward Dein and Jerry Warner, based on an original story by Gerald Geraghty
The Universal Pictures Company production stars Noah Beery Jr,
Lois Collier, Paul Kelly, Frederick Brady, Douglass Dumbrille, Rose Hobart, Jonathan Hale, Iris Lancaster, Vera Lewis and William B. Davidson.
Reviews:
“The plot is much too busy and the characters are skin deep and motivation follows the needs of the plot rather than the characters. The cast is okay but unexceptional – which pretty much describes Creeps.” All Movie
“The Cat Creeps is just a mildly creepy murder mystery, one far too dull to work effectively. The plot is highly contrived, the acting is stiff and unconvincing (the fast-talking, wise-cracking journalist routine gets very tiring very quickly), the comic relief is utterly feeble and the whole sorry affair comes to a juddering halt with one of those finales where the survivors get together to have the whole plot explained to them.” The EOFFTV Review
” …shamefully un-mysterious mystery with supernatural overtones. Just another grade B murder-in-the-mansion potboiler” Joe Dante, Famous Monsters, July 1962
“This might have actually worked if the movie had had more substance than it does; unfortunately, it really is nothing more than an “old dark house” film, only gloomy, somber, and not much fun at all. As such, it almost seems a death knell for this subgenre, and one of Universal’s weakest horror entries.” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“Red herrings are trotted out and forgotten, plot points are introduced and abandoned, and horror elements are hinted at and never realized. Like She-Wolf of London, it assumes the trappings of a horror movie (there’s an Old Dark House to wander around in, and a black cat that we’re told contains the soul of a dead woman) but it ultimately reveals itself to be a standard mystery story.” The Horror Incorporated Project
” …if one can watch it with the lowest possible expectations (in other words, if you hadn’t seen the macabre “murdered-teenage girl’s-soul-in-a-black-cat” description in the TV listings), then you might be able to kick back with a mildly diverting late-night hour’s worth of viewing.” Shock! Theater
“Brady and Beery team up well as the reporter and photographer who uncover a missing $200,000 for the newspaper and solve a murder in one fell swoop. Gripping drama will provide ghost lovers with enough chills to keep from catnapping.” TV Guide
YouTube reviews:
Trailer [1080p HD]:
Choice dialogue:
Terry Nichols [Frederick Brady]: “Ok, gentlemen you’ve persuaded me. You and Dracula out there. Great story boss. Great human interest. Is it true you put rat poison in your baby’s milk, just for your morning’s laugh?”
Gay Elliot [Lois Collier]: “Did someone hit you over the head or are you drunk?”
Pidge ‘Flash’ Laurie [Noah Beery Jr]: “A guy could make a fortune selling smelling salts around here.”
Kyra Goran [Iris Lancaster]: “But everything points to you. Even the cat. The cat knows!”
Production:
The Cat Creeps went into production on January 3, 1946. George Robinson was the director of photography but was replaced by an uncredited Elwood Bredell towards the later stages of filming. The crew of the film were advised by censors not to include the word “witch” in the film as “there can be no possible confusion with the unacceptable word ‘bitch'” and to avoid scenes of cruelty to the titular cat. The film completed production in thirteen days, one day over schedule.
Cast and characters:
Noah Beery Jr. … Pidge ‘Flash’ Laurie
Lois Collier … Gay Elliot
Paul Kelly … Ken Grady
Frederick Brady … Terry Nichols
Douglass Dumbrille … Tom McGalvey
Rose Hobart … Connie Palmer
Jonathan Hale … Walter Elliot
Iris Lancaster … Kyra Goran
Vera Lewis … Cora Williams
William B. Davidson … James Walsh
Arthur Loft … Sampler, Publisher
Jerry Jerome … Politch, Reporter
Release:
The Cat Creeps was distributed theatrically by the Universal Pictures Company on May 17, 1946, double-billed with She-Wolf of London.
Notes:
This film is not to be confused with The Cat Creeps, a 1930 lost early sound film that was a remake of the silent horror classic The Cat and the Canary.
