Cat People (1942)

Older horror films are great, but I often feel like the stories had to be watered down in order for them to make it to screen. Cat People is different. The story is subtly told, but there's no holding back. There's subtext everywhere, and anything that we don't see feels like it's withheld for a reason.

It's amazing to watch this movie and think about just how old it is. Not everything about it is great - many of its characters are bland, and some of the acting is cringeworthy - but it's atmospheric and ahead of its time. This was Hitchcock before Hitchcock, and I can't even imagine how many directors were influenced by that terrific swimming pool seed. This got a remake in the 80s, but unlike many other horror movies of its time, it never needed to be redone.

4 women who look like cats out of 5.