CAT PEOPLE (1982)

• Director: Paul Schrader
• Featured special makeup effects: Thomas R. Burman
• Cast: Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O’Toole
• Film: 118mins | USA | Subtitles | Intermission
• Event: Doors 6pm | Intro + Film 6:30pm – 9pm [18+]
• Event takes place in The Club Room.

A woman’s desires overcome her fear of the force which can transform her into a black panther if she makes love to anybody outside her own family.

“THEY ARE SOMETHING MORE THAN LOVERS WHO ARE ABOUT TO BECOME SOMETHING LESS THAN HUMAN.“

Cult film night BAR TRASH continues with its 11^th sensational season — SYNTHETIC FLESH! — a tribute to more than 100 years of monster makeup FX. Continuing our ‘Queer Monstrosity’ sidequest at Finsbury Park Picturehouse, BAR TRASH is stupidly proud to present Paul Schrader’s CAT PEOPLE (1982).

We haven’t done ‘moody erotic incestuous queer body horror thriller with a Giorgio Moroder synth soundtrack and a David Bowie theme song’ at BAR TRASH before. Now’s the time. Paul Schrader’s much-maligned remake of the sublime 1942 film CAT PEOPLE — directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton for RKO — transforms subtext into text at an alarming rate, amplified by two starkly contrasting performances from Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell. CAT PEOPLE (1982) marries arthouse and exploitation cinema in lurid ways that jettison the subtlety of the original but bring their own shape-shifting cocktail of erotic configurations to life’s eternally queer cabaret.

“CAT PEOPLE (1942), THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944), and CAT PEOPLE (1982) are transcendent pieces of queer horror that chronicle the history of queerness in society. Queer text and subtext are always subjective, but we live in an age when we can reassess landmark films through a more informed and personal lens. By all accounts, Irena is one of the greatest torchbearers for sexual and gender identity, at least for me, as I continue understanding myself on a deeper level. Such films can be eye-opening, and they’ve certainly given me an even richer perspective on what I’ve been through in my life.”

Bee Delores, Bloody Disgusting

Featured special makeup effects artist: Thomas R. Burman and his frequent collaborator and wife Bari Dreiband-Burman were Oscar nominated for Best Makeup for SCROOGED (1989). He is the four-time nominee for Best Makeup at the Saturn Awards for INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978), THE MANITOU (1978), CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977), and DEMON SEED (1977), and recipient of an extraordinary number of Emmy Award nominations and wins across much-loved TV shows like NIP/TUCK, GREYS ANATOMY and THE TRACEY ULLMAN SHOW (shared with Bari Dreiband-Burman among other key collaborators). 

Polite notice: We are showing CAT PEOPLE (1982) with subtitles from the best available digital source.

/// BAR TRASH is a celebration of cult and curious cinema, hosted by queer film fanatic Token Homo and friends. Films are served with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles / captions where possible. Tickets £8 / £5 for PH members. Adults 18+ only. Follow @tokenhomo on Instagram for updates. More info at tokenhomo.com ///