As the physical media advancement of UHD continues to be pushed, distributors are beginning to venture further from the tentpole titles and closer to more obscure movies. One such movie is Cat’s Eye. An anthology film directed by Lewis Teague and written by Stephen King, Cat’s Eye was originally released into the world in 1985. It didn’t exactly set the box office aflame, but over the years it has entertained many who have stumbled upon it, mainly late at night on the television. Now it has been given the bespoke 4K restoration treatment and is a must for collectors of genre content.
The film itself tells three standalone stories that are interwoven together by the presence of one tabby cat, (later named) General. As the stray moves from city to city the feline becomes embroiled in three stories that range from sinister to creepy. Oftentimes the wraparound story that functions as the connective tissue for an anthology is undercooked. Creators tend to try and make it either its own short story, or, hammer home its purpose to link everything together. Here, the lines between chapter and segue are blurred, with General being the starting point for each tale as well as featuring himself within each story in some capacity. As the stories progress, the furry feline’s part is bulked up until the final tale sees the cat take centre stage.
Teague had previously directed Cujo, another film based off of King’s writing and immediately there’s a nod to the film as a ravenous St. Bernard chases General. The sequence also features a brief cameo from Christine (King’s murderous car creation) and both set the tone, with several more King related Easter eggs popping up along the way. During the chase, General jumps into the back of a lorry which takes the cat to New York City and places it in the path of the first story. Starring James Wood, the first stop on General’s journey is not a pleasant one for the kitty. He’s unceremoniously scooped up off of the streets and taken to a ‘Quitters Incorporated’, an organisation that uses extreme unorthodox methods to help people quit smoking. Woods is excellent as the businessman whose life gets twisted upside down. Adapted from King’s story Quitter, the jaunt is exactly the kind of story that would have worked well within The Twilight Zone and eases the viewer in nicely.
The tale (based on King’s short Ledge) that forms the middle section of the piece is a tense and dangerous one that places a man on a ledge after sleeping with the wrong guy’s wife. Set high up above Atlantic City, this segment is an anxiety-inducing nightmare for anyone with an aversion to heights or pigeons. The birds are unusually mean-spirited here, causing havoc as one man tries to walk the perimeter of a high-rise building ledge in a bid to win the freedom of himself and the woman he loves.
Whereas Quitter and Ledge were both based on short stories devised by King, the final story was newly written for the film. Tonally it’s out of sorts with what has come before. Previous chapters focused on male leads, this one opts for a young girl. The others are set in the rather realistic idea of criminality and the viciousness of violent men, this story leans further into fantasy. There’s also a shift from built-up cities to the expanse and space of a more rural setting. Here General finds Amanda, played by a young Drew Barrymore, who he must help fight off a sinister goblin that lives within her walls. The visual effects for the creature are great and still hold up fairly well for our modern times. Even the upgrade to ultra-high definition doesn’t give away too many of the tricks and the story remains as uncomfortable and unsettling for the viewer as it was the first time around.
A strange collection of stories, the trio don’t make for a cohesive viewing, but do offer plenty of creepy scenarios and food for thought. Cat’s Eye also proves that cats are capable of being on-screen performers; the kitties used are a testament to the patience and hard work of their trainers. Usually a feline character in film isn’t tasked with a great deal outside of sleeping and looking cute, Teague pushes his feline star to its limits and in doing so creates perhaps the greatest cat performance (sorry Jonesey) in cinematic history.
Cat’s Eye
Summary
An under-seen anthology, tonally and cohesively Cat’s Eye doesn’t fully mesh; however, the individual components work well in isolation.
Cat’s Eye is available to own on UHD, Blu-ray and DVD now.
