‘That’s the bet, Mr. Norris. You get the girl, you get the gold watch, you get everything…’
I love horror films. I love ’80s movies. I love Stephen King. I love cats. And so a combination of all of those things was always going to be a winner. Cat’s Eye consists of adaptations of two of King’s most beloved short stories and one new tale penned by King especially for the film. The film also sees director Lewis Teague return to the world of Stephen King having previously directed Cujo. The three stories in this particular anthology vary wildly in both content and quality but all of them are at worst watchable…
The first segment (Quitters, Inc.) sees James Woods go to great lengths to quit smoking, the middle section (The Ledge) concerns two men and a deadly wager, while the final section (General) features Drew Barrymore trying to avoid having her soul sucked out by some weird little troll creature. A cat weaves in and out of the three stories somewhat linking them together. As I stated earlier, it’s a mixed bag.
While the final two segments have their moments, Quitters, Inc is the most successful of the trio. James Woods is a good fit for the Stephen King universe as he’s a normal-looking guy but there is an undercurrent of menace about him. It’s also the only story of the three that really nails the tone that Teague seems to be aiming for – the always uneasy mix of dark comedy and horror. I understand General has its supporters but aside from a charming performance from Barrymore it doesn’t have much else to recommend it (although it is the most cat-centric of the three which is a positive) and The Ledge is well-acted and suspenseful but also a little repetitive.
Cat’s Eye feels very 1985 which is a great thing for me personally as I love that era of horror cinema but it may be offputting for others. That being said, everyone should at least watch Quitters, Inc. and longtime King fans will enjoy all the Easter eggs (both Cujo and Christine appear within the first minute). For my final thought, and this may be sacrilege to some people, I actually prefer Cat’s Eye to King’s other horror anthology series Creepshow – a bold statement I know.
