Hey horror fans, Slick Dungeon here to guide you through yet another Stephen King adaptation. This time, I’m taking a look at Cat’s Eye, a three part anthology film of King’s short stories. Unlike Creepshow, this film never quite hits the mark so I don’t recommend it. But if you insist on watching it and don’t want spoilers, grab your cat, fight off the troll in your wall, watch the movie and come on back here to read the review!

Cat’s Eye Background

Two out of the three stories in the film were adaptations of prior short stories of Stephen King’s. The third story is original to the film. All three feature a cat, and Drew Barrymore with the third story emphasizing the two. While the film may have done well and been well received at release, it does not hold up well and there are far more entertaining King films out there.

The movie did make $13 million and was generally liked, although some critics didn’t enjoy it. It still has a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but for my money, this one really isn’t worth the watch anymore. But let’s take a look at the three stories depicted and see what they are all about.

Quitter’s Inc.

Want to quit smoking? Willing to go to extremes that are definitely illegal? Try Quitter’s Inc. James Woods stars in this one as Dick Morrison. Dick is trying to quit smoking so he goes to Quitters Inc. At his first meeting there, Dr. Vinnie Donatti tells Dick they have a 100% success rate because of their unusual practices. Anytime Dick tries to smoke, some new and increasing horror is going to befall Dick’s wife and daughter.

To show he means business, Donatti shows Dick a cat in a box and turns on some jolts of electricity, torturing the poor cat. He tells Dick in no uncertain terms, this will be his wife if he smokes. And that he has people everywhere watching Dick’s every move.

Well, smokers are gonna smoke and sure enough, Donatti has his people do shady things like follow Dick’s daughter to school, threaten to rape his wife, and eventually does put Dick’s wife in the cage. After seeing her tortured, Dick tells his wife everything.

We fast forward in time and Donatti is proud of Dick for quitting smoking but wants him to lose weight so he prescribes diet pills. Dick asks what happens if he gains weight and Donatti says his wife will lose a finger. At dinner that night, Dick and his wife toast Quitter’s Inc. to their friends and Dick notices his friend’s wife is missing a finger.

This one is pretty silly and campy but it is kind of entertaining. And James Woods does put in a decent performance

The Ledge

The second story in the anthology is The Ledge. This one is about a gambler named Cressner. A former tennis pro named Johnny Norris has been seeing Cressner’s wife. Also, the cat from the first story escaped Quitter’s Inc. and Cressner bets on whether it can cross the street without getting run over by a car.

This is probably the most forgettable of the stories. Cressner bets Johnny he can’t make it around the ledge of his building on his penthouse floor. If he does, Cressner will grant his wife a divorce and reunite her with Johnny. While Johnny scrambles across the precarious ledge, Cressner does everything he can to make it more difficult.

Johnny makes it and Cressner does, sort of, honor the bet. He reunites Johnny with his wife’s severed head. Johnny attacks Cressner and with a little help from the cat, he gets Cressner’s gun and the tables turn. Cressner is not as good as Johnny and he falls to his death.

This premise could have been intriguing but it feels a bit dull. And it’s not even close to horrific, with the exception of the moment the severed head is revealed.

General

The third story is about the cat who Drew Barrymore’s character, Amanda, says is named General. Amanda believes there is a monster in her wall. Amanda’s mother doesn’t want General to stay in Amanda’s room because she has the superstitious belief that cats steal children’s breath.

As you might guess, Amanda is right about the monster. It’s a little troll who lives in her walls and it’s the one trying to steal her breath. General, the hero cat, saves Amanda and the cat gets to stay.

This one doesn’t work well in my opinion but maybe it did at the time. If you’re wondering what the monster looked like, you can see it below.

Ultimately, I just can’t get behind this one. It’s too far out there but if you’re looking for something pretty silly, this one can work.

Cat’s Eye in Conclusion

Stephen King has more than 80 adaptations on film and television. Not all of them can be great. In my opinion this one is one to skip. You’re better off watching either of his Creepshow films if you want an anthology of horror. And while the performances are fine, not all of the effects hold up with the passing of time. There are some funny moments so looking at it as a comedy/horror makes a little more sense. Sadly, this is not the worst of King films but it is far, far from the best.

Want More?

Want to see some of my other King reviews? Take a look here!

Looking for a good King read? Check out this one!

Have you seen this one? If so, did you like it? Let me know in the comments!

Cattily yours,

Slick Dungeon