User Reviews

I just caught a screening of this movie at BAM in Brooklyn last night. I only went because I was given free tickets and dig horror flicks, so with no expectations and my only knowledge being "it has an army of cats," this movie blew me away. I was totally entertained, alternatingly laughing and jumping throughout. The film is shot beautifully, has a great score, the dialogue crackles, and the cast perfectly walks the line between camp and horror. The vaguely incestuous scenes between Wylie and his Aunt Dani are particularly great.

Of course, the best part is the cats! I was promised an army of cats, and this movie delivered. They truly make the average housecat look like a fierce creature of the night.

A fun horror movie through and through. Please release this on DVD!

I saw this film back in India in the early 70s during its second run. I enjoyed it very much at the time and even now, looking back after over 30 years, I am amazed that this movie gets so little publicity. Other films that are less than half as good have long got a DVD release, but very few people seem to know of this one's existence.

All right, it is not a classic but is certainly good for Saturday evening. The plot of a sick, reclusive elderly woman living in a mansion with lots of money is nothing new; nor is the arrival of 'caring' young relatives hoping to find a place in her will. But the presence of some twenty sinister looking CATS seemingly guarding their mistresses' interests certainly adds a diabolical angle. Michael Sarrazin's unnatural phobia of the cats adds to the drama, as does Gayle Hunnicut's murderous nurse. There are some superb scenes like the aforementioned runaway wheelchair and the outstanding Oxygen Tent sequence. I hope someone has the sense to bring this film out on DVD in its original theatrical release format.

This is not a great movie but it still fascinates 35 years later. It is obviously influenced by Hitchcock's "The Birds" but it also seems to be inspired by Curtis Harrington's excellent "Games" from a couple of years earlier. ("Games" is influenced by the French film "Diabolique." They both star Simone Signoret.) And, in fact, the closing shots of "Games" and "Eye of the Cat" are very similar, but that is not the only similarity. In "...Cat" Michael Sarrazin attempts a kind of decadence achieved by Signoret in "Games." And there is more: Sarrazin and Eleanor Parker and company play mind-games with one another, just like the "Games." I don't want to give away the implied perversities of either movie, but there are plenty, and they make both Universal Studios films worth watching. I also won't give away the most memorable suspense sequence, filmed in ersatz Hitchcock, subjective style. If you see the movie, you will spot it.

Sarrazin's brother is played by a handsome guy named Tim Henry who apparently never made another film. Gayle Hunnicut is gorgeous in her 1960s ensembles and big hair. Judy Garland's 4th husband, Mark Herron, appears briefly in a silent role - an upscale hairdresser - during the opening credits.

The cinematographer on the film was Russell Metty who photographed lots of Douglas Sirk movies and you can certainly see his style. The main set of the movie, the foyer of a large home with a winding staircase, is very much like the main set in Sirk's "Written on the Wind" and Metty uses the foyer's mirror and a vase of flowers in the same way as the earlier film. And even though "...Cat" is set in 1969, it has that distinctive, slick, Alexander Golitzen/Universal Studios look.

I have a tape of "Eye of the Cat" that I got on television 20 years ago. Unfortunately, it is the "revised" version, with some scenes missing and a couple of small moments seem to have been added. The original film is not available on commercial tape or DVD. Sure would be nice to be able to see it again.

This movie was partially re-shot and re-edited for television, and that's the only version that ever turns up. I sure wish the original theatrical version would become available on VHS or DVD. I remember this as being a wonderfully atmospheric, creepy movie. I was shocked the first time I viewed it on TV, because I vividly remembered a climactic scene where Gayle Hunnicutt was descending a big staircase and being chased and overtaken by a virtual sea of cats running around and past her. It was a visually stunning shot. Yet, in the televised version, she was being chased by one (count it) ONE solitary little kitty! It looked ridiculous, and you had to assume she was running based on some intense phobia, which isn't really established earlier in the story. This is a little gem, which deserves being restored to its theatrical release version.

Above average thriller with plenty of twists , turns and a suspenseful finale . A young man (Michael Sarrazin) and his sweetheart (Gayle Hunnicut) scheme to rob the mansion of the man's resentful but wealthy aunt (Eleanor Parker) . However , the eccentric aunt keeps dozens of cats in her home , and the youngster is deathly afraid of cats . Terror that takes you beyond any fear you've ever known!.Terror that tears the screams right out of your throat!

Eye of the Cat (1969) contains twisted mysteries , emotion , thrills, suspense and being compelling and splendidly directed . This is a highly mysterious and cerebral thriller , filled with plot twists , including an unexpected denouement in its ending part . Here the screenwriter of "Psycho" now brings you a tale of terror to test your nerves and it will have you at edge of your seat , that's why it will appeal to thriller/terror genre enthusiasts . From start to finish the complicated intrigue , fast-paced , thrills , and suspense result to be continuous . Hitchcock-style psychological thriller , being surprisingly good and compellingly shot . The original as well entertaining premise is overspread across the movie adding some brief conventional pitfalls . This nice film by producer/director David Lowell Rich was well and professionally made. The main cast is frankly good , Michael Sarrazin as the egoistic young man with dark plans , his gorgeous girlfriend , the wonderful Gayle Hunnicut who plays perfectly his beautiful lover and the bittersweet , sick aunt stunningly performed by veteran Eleanor Parker . Support cast is pretty good such as the newcomer Tim Henry , Linden Chiles and Laurence Naismith . The picture is very well , though sometimes stagy and it has a lot of turns . However , being very entertaining for its successive suspense .

This interesting thriller displays a colorful and luxurious cinematography by prestigious cameraman Russell Metty . Being shot on location in San Francisco, Lafayette Park, Gough and Washington Streets, San Francisco, Sausalito, California . And stirring and suspenseful score by Lalo Schifrin , usual composer in the Sixties , and Clint Eastwood's regular . This mystery murder was stunningly produced by various prestigious producers Leslie Stevens, Bernard Schwartzand Universal Pictures .The motion picture was competently directed by David Lowell Rich , habitual TV director and occasionally for cinema . This under-rated producer and filmmaker of the 1960s and 1970s movies called David Lowell Rich was a prolific television director, an expert at made-for-TV movies in the 1970's and worked briefly at Columbia during the late 50's. Rich directed a lot of TV films and movies, such as : Northeast of Seoul , Bolt , A lovely way to die, Chu Chu and the Philly Flash , School for Girls , The Sex symbol, The Chadwick Family , Runaway , Death Race , Convicted and many others . In the 1960s he directed episodes of several cult TV shows including Mission Impossible , and one episode of The Twilight Zone . In the 1970s he got caught up in the disaster movie craze by putting out atleast five disaster films, four for TV , such as : The Concorde...Airport '79 and Horror At 37,000 Feet (1973) combined a flight disaster with supernatural events and wonderful over-acting from William Shatner, most of them failed at boxoffice . However, all the above films, including The Concorde...Airport '79, are fun to watch and , unlike some other films of the disaster genre, were never tiring . Eye of the Cat (1969) rating : 7/10 . Better than average warlike film . Worthwhile watching . It's an inoffensive diversion that will appeal to psychological thriller fans .

The film has a good premise, namely, the fear of cats. So much more could have been done with this. But one-hit-wonder Joseph "Psycho" Stefano's script is burdened with endless talk and repetitive dialogue. The film is well-cast, although some of the supporting players give the strongest performances. Tim Henry, in his first film role, is outstanding as Luke. And Jennifer Leak is only in two scenes, but she makes them both unforgettable. Nothing much happens in the first hour, but the film is still memorable.

A sense of unease encapsulates this movie, from the characters to the cats and the music. The opening credits even have a sinister feel about them with the silhouettes of cats on the prowl. Aunt Danny has a respiratory condition where she has a severe problem with her lungs. Cue the vultures, her nephew Wylie and his friend Kassia plan to make the Aunt change her will so that he gets it instead of her beloved cats. Trouble is Wylie is petrified of cats and when they suddenly reappear at the house he goes into a state of shock.

The 3 leads are all great in this little known horror/thriller but it's the creepy cats that stand out the most.

Eye of the Cat started in such a stylish and impressive fashion I thought I was about to witness something really quite special.

It tells the story of a man approached by a mysterious woman with a plan to kill his wealthy aunt for her inheritance. However the man in question has a serious phobia of cats and his aunt has a house full.

The idea is actually great, I loved the concept and it all looks fantastic and way ahead of its time. So what went wrong?

Animal cruelty certainly took place in the making of this movie, not an opinion but a blatant observation that I couldn't get past.

The great cast, solid story and originality were all made null and void as I just couldn't get past the animal treatment.

Should have been great, but they should have treated those cats better.

The Good:

Gayle Hunnicutt

Very stylish

The Bad:

Totally unnecessary cat death

There is no way animal cruelty didn't take place in the making of this movie

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Brothers are okay drying each other after a bath

Climbing is the logical method of escape from cats

Again a very silly from that presupposes cats are terrifying which they never are. Along with The Uncanny which used the same story but disposed of it in 20 minutes, to believe cats; furry, sometimes sullen and often stupid are anything other than loveable mousers is too much for this humble viewer.

Maybe if there was a witch involved but it would still be like finding Muttley sinister just because he hangs out with Dick Dasterdly.

The film is a plot-plot involving crosses, double crosses and twists; a creepy incestuous aunt and her dying will, two brothers a beautician and a cat or cats depending on which version you see. It's not terrible and its exploration of the counter culture is as ill informed as its' treatise on feline behaviour but its general silliness gets in the way of being anything other than a diversion.

Joseph Stefano concocted this rather haphazard suspense yarn about a mercenary young woman in San Francisco who reunites a wealthy, dying woman with her beloved ne'er-do-well nephew in order to get her hands on the inheritance money. The plan gets off to a shaky start after the nephew, who harbors a paralyzing fear of cats, discovers hundreds of the meowing creatures in his aunt's manor. The felines are well-trained, and the film has an OK production and cast, but the story fails to add up. Stefano wants surprises and plot twists, but the scheming people we meet aren't really very exciting or interesting. A couple of shock scenes (particularly a well-staged one involving Eleanor Parker trying to make her way up a steep incline in her electric wheelchair) give the picture some much-needed flair, however the resolution is cloudy and the whole tale ultimately pointless. ** from ****

Just saw a beautiful theatrical print of "Eye of the Cat" for the first time last night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Most of the reviewers have already said what I wanted to say, but I wanted to mention my favorite part of the movie: the menacing and evil music whenever they show the main cat. The cat is just so adorable that when combined with the macabre music it just comes off as laughable. Aside from some campiness, this movie is entirely engrossing and was amazingly shot - the opening De Palma-esquire split-screens are fantastic and San Francisco has never looked so beautiful. It's a crime that this movie isn't on DVD!

Ailurophobia is the fear of cats - our star, Michael Sarrazin, has got it badly. This is one of the better movies where our feline house cats are made to look fiercely deadly to humans. Give this film a try -- really good.

7/10

Gayle Hunnicutt descends on Michael Sarrrazin. He's to return to the home of his wealthy aunt, Eleanor Parker, and she'll change her will from leaving it all to the immense clowder of cats that infests her Nob Hill house to him. Then Miss Hunnicutt will kill Miss Parker, and Sarrazin will give her half the money. He approaches the older woman, but insists on having her remove all the cats before he'll set foot in the place; his ailurophobia is so severe it can induce catatonia -- no pun intended on my part, but I suspect it was what gave writer Joseph Stefano the idea for the story. Sarrazin's brother, Tim Henry, is ordered to drive them away in the Rolls.

There's a lot of psychological creepiness going on here; it's made clear in the dialogue that Miss Parker inherited all the money because she was carrying on an affair with the boys' father, which killed their mother through a broken heart. Whether she is their maternal or paternal aunt is never made clear. However, her attachment to Sarrazin also seems to have a sexual component.

All of which is a nasty red herring to distract from what is going on and how the cats keep sneaking back into the house. I had it figured early on, but just from the general shape of these movies. Although it has the look of a Universal TV movie, this never would have gotten past Standards & Practices. There are a few nice points, like Lalo Schifrin's score, and the editing on the opening by J. Terry Williams. In the end, though, it's nothing special, and doesn't seem to make any point beyond rich people are strange. Which is no surprise, really. They can afford to be.

I saw this movie in the theater as a kid of 12. It really is a good mystery/suspense film with a nice performance by Eleanor Parker as the wheelchair bound mistress of the posh mansion and her hoardes of cats. Filmed in San Francisco. Lots of surprises in this one. The sexy Gayle Hunnicutt (who plays the nurse) was my fantasy for years after seeing this. Neat scene near middle of flick with Parker's chair careening wildly down a Frisco hilly sidewalk, a crazed cat in her lap. Would love to see this forgotten film released by Universal on DVD or at least VHS.

Eye of the Cat (1969) is a movie I recently watched on Shudder. The storyline follows a free spirited young man who is scheduled to receive everything his rich aunt has in an inheritance as she lies on her death bed. She recently changed her inheritance to him from her household of cats. As she prepares to sign the documents he arrives at his aunt's estate and warns the young lady with him the cats are more than just cats...she's about to discover what he means.

This movie is directed by David Lowell Rich (That Man Bolt) and stars Michael Sarrazin (Frankenstein: The True Story), Gayle Hunnicutt (The Legend of Hell House), Eleanor Parker (The Sound of Music), Tim Henry (Aliens vs Predator) and Linden Chiles (The Green Hornet).

This storyline is very unique with fantastic characters, settings and circumstances. I was thoroughly impressed with how unique and unpredictable this movie is. They created some cat feeding frenzies that were fun - though the car scene made me uneasy, like a clown car filled with cats. I will say the main character was annoying, and the reading of the will scene was kind of sad but the ending is perfectly executed and worthwhile. There's an awesome wheelchair scene in this too.

Overall this movie isn't perfect but it is entertaining and unique. I would score this movie a strong 7/10 and strongly recommend it.

Eye of the Cat is a convoluted murder thriller in the same vein as Les Diaboliques and Games, where it is never quite clear who is plotting to do what to whom. In this case, scheming beautician Kassia Lancaster(Gayle Hunnicutt) convinces a young man, Wylie (Michael Sarrazin), to return home to his ailing Aunt Danny (Eleanor Parker) in order to get the dying woman to change her will. Once Aunt Danny has bequeathed her fortune to Wylie, the plan is to murder her, making it look like her illness has finally won. Of course, things are never that simple... Wylie's younger brother also shares the house, along with numerous cats, of which Wylie has a severe phobia.

Opening with a split-screen pre-credits sequence, Eye of the Cat oozes the late-'60s from the outset, the film featuring big hair, short skirts, open-top sports cars and wild dancing; the groovy style makes the film quite fun despite the fact that the supposedly unpredictable plot is actually fairly easy to guess. Director David Lowell Rich even throws in a crazy cat-fight between Kassia and Wylie's previous fling (played by Jennifer Leak), a tense sequence that has Hitchcock written all over it, as Aunt Danny struggles with her malfunctioning wheelchair while on a steep slope, and a suitably grim demise for Kassia courtesy of all those kitties. These individual highlights make Eye of the Cat worth a watch, even if the film as a whole is nothing spectacular.

N. B. There are apparently two versions of the film, the original theatrical cut and a tamer version for TV. I saw the theatrical cut.

As I was watching this movie there were many moments when I was a bit embarrassed with the quirkiness of this film and some of the expense fell short but something something seemed unique about this movie - some vague feeling of charm which is probably thanks to the cinematography and setting throughout the movie (which takes place in California).

This movie is definitely not a classic and I will tell you why. Eye of the Cat mostly fails at allowing the viewer to ignore an incomplete plot and poor dialogue and still enjoy the character of the film as in many other low-budget, cult horrors of the era.

Take Halloween (John Carpenter's) for example. Despite obvious flaws that would take away from the suspense or movie's plot, the film overcomes these flaws by introducing traits that revolutionized horror. Eye of the Cat does not do this effectively and often misses the mark in terms of suspense.

That being said, the film was alluring in an interesting way and the way in which the film was shot helps keep this film from dropping to a 3 or 4 out of 10.

This is a solid TV movie look horror movie from Universal who specialized at the time in good strong B movies made in Technicolor and released into drive ins and crumbling weekly change houses. In Sydney at the Capitol Theatre 2500 seats were there each session. Often a film like LOST FLIGHT or THE KILLERS or ANGEL IN MY POCKET or COLOSSUS THE FORBIN PROJECT or THE LOVE GOD etc all like that mentioned above from Universal got a berth there for a week inbetween AIP Poe horrors and Paramount reissues. I saw EYE OF THE CAT as a double feature with the Carroll Baker thriller SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH... a terrible title for a good 'is my husband a killer' Euro ski lodge style thriller, very snazzy and in retro, a very good double feature. Today both these films would do very well if new and in multiplexes, then they just had a guest appearance for 6 days (closed Sunday) and off to some remote drive ins in the countryside... never on TV never on video and never heard of again. Read other comments for the excellent well informed reactions and storyline. Hey, what ever happened to Michael Sarrazin? He even was a 70s Streisand leading man in FOR PETE'S SAKE and a great Margo Kidder thriller dude THE REINCARNATION OF PETER PROUD.

While this film is compared to The Birds because of its swarm of cats, and maybe also because of the connection to Hitchcock (the screenwriter for this film, Joseph Stefano, also did the screenplay for Psycho), unfortunately you really feel the absence of a director who could build tension, like Hitchcock could. There are some really nice scenes with cats late in this film, as well as a tense moment with a perilous wheelchair incident on the steep hills of San Francisco which are worth taking a look for, but unfortunately, these kinds of things aren't utilized nearly enough beforehand, and the film is mired instead in poor acting and a stilted script. I thought my review might simply be, "not enough cats, not enough San Francisco." It redeems itself somewhat late, but then ends on a rather ridiculous note, with a character motivation that defies belief. Seeing the obligatory groovy party from the era held some appeal, as did seeing Elanor Parker in a role that seemed to bookend her performance in Caged (1950) even though she was only 47, but this just didn't come together as well as it could have.

"Eye of the Cat" is an engaging thriller if you can overlook the stilted dialogue, the gaping holes in logic, some clumsy direction and just surrender to its cozy atmosphere. In scenic San Francisco, we meet several characters driven by greed, all of who will stop at nothing to get their share of a wealthy old lady's fortune. The action plays out in her hilltop home that's full of cats. If that sounds intriguing to you, then you're in for a treat. Among the main characters, Gayle Hunnicutt is the standout. Not just for her supermodel looks (big hair, short skirts) but for her expert portrayal of a cold, calculating opportunist. When she says to Michael Sarrazin "I'm not afraid of anything.", we tend to believe her. Hunnicutt should have become a bigger star; the right part just didn't come along, as it did for fellow Universal contract player Katherine Ross. Michael Sarrazin on the other hand, had a good shot at stardom, costarring with the likes of Jane Fonda and Barbra Streisand in hit movies, but as this film demonstrates, his acting ability is sorely limited and he's devoid of any real charisma. Even the totally unknown Tim Henry, who plays his brother, radiates more appeal. It's good to see old pro Eleanor Parker hamming it up as the object of everyone's bad intentions. She gets her star turn in the stranded wheelchair scene. Screenwriter Joseph Stefano ("Psycho") created a Hitchcockian premise here without being derivative of the master. There are two versions of this film, one slightly less violent for airing on television with a lot fewer cats.