Despite Paul Schrader at the helm, a theme by David Bowie, a score by Giorgio Moroder and inspiration from the 1942 Jacques Tourneur horror classic, “Cat People” lands with a splat. The main story is off-putting and there’s little chemistry between Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell, which makes the central conflict between their characters fall flat. The atmosphere and the sets are eerily captivating, but there’s an over-emphasis on nudity that ironically negates the sensuality Schrader was obviously trying to achieve here.
