“I like the dark. It's friendly.” – Cat People (1942)
This week, we turn the lights low with special guest Rebecca Rozenberg, Publicity Manager at Simon & Schuster, who brings insight honed from working with bestselling authors and deep industry experience. Together, we dive into Jacques Tourneur and Val Lewton’s Cat People, a landmark psychological horror film that uses suggestion, shadow, and sound to terrify far more than it shows.
Rebecca helps us unpack how this low-budget classic redefined horror through restraint, atmosphere, and subtext, and why its themes of transformation, identity, and repression still echo today. Cat People continues to loom large over genre filmmaking and remains revered for its chilling economy.
Episode Notes:
Cat People (1942) directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton
Starring: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, and Tom Conway
Notable for:
- Introducing the famous “Lewton Bus” jump scare technique
- Masterful use of lighting and sound to build suspense and psychological dread
- Themes of sexuality, isolation, and metamorphosis explored with subtlety
Discussion points include:
- How Cat People shaped modern psychological horror and inspired filmmakers
- The importance of suggestion over explicit imagery in genre storytelling
- Simone Simon’s haunting performance and the film’s layered subtext
- The collaborative vision of Val Lewton and Tourneur in creating minimalist horror
Featuring special guest: Rebecca Rozenberg, Publicity Manager at Simon & Schuster
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Music by Mike Natale
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