Plot
A stray cat is the linking element of three tales of suspense and horror.

Release Year: 1985

Rating: 6.0/10 (8,541 voted)

Director: Lewis Teague

Stars: Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King

Storyline
Three horror-thriller tales revolve around a mysterious stray cat which is attempting to find a little girl in trouble. In "Quitters, Inc.": the cat is picked up by a shady New York "doctor" who uses experimental techniques to get people to quit smoking. His latest client is a man named Morrison, who learns he'll suffer some terrible consequences if he tries to cheat. In "The Ledge": the cat is picked up by Cressner, a shady Atlantic City millionaire who forces tennis pro Norris (his wife's lover), to walk a narrow ledge around his high-rise penthouse apartment. In "The General": the cat arrives in Wilmington, North Carolina, where it is found by Amanda, the young girl it has been sent to protect. What she needs protection from is a tiny, evil troll who lives behind the skirting board in her bedroom.

Cast:
Drew Barrymore - Our Girl / Amanda
James Woods - Dick Morrison
Alan King - Dr. Vinny Donatti
Kenneth McMillan - Cressner
Robert Hays - Johnny Norris
Candy Clark - Sally Ann
James Naughton - Hugh
Tony Munafo - Junk
Court Miller - Mr. McCann
Russell Horton - Mr. Milquetoast
Patricia Benson - Mrs. Milquetoast
Mary D'Arcy - Cindy
James Rebhorn - Drunk Businessman
Jack Dillon - Janitor
Susan Hawes - Mrs. McCann

Taglines: Follow the newest cat-and-creature game as played through

Release Date: 12 April 1985

Filming Locations: Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $3,451,000 (USA) (14 April 1985) (1460 Screens)

Gross: $13,086,000 (USA)

Runtime: 94 min

Trivia:
Stephen King wrote this script with Drew Barrymore in mind because of her performance in Firestarter.

Goofs:
Continuity: When Robert Hayes gets past the falling section of sign, there is a hole in the right shoulder on the back of his shirt. When he enters the apartment, the hole is no longer there.

Quotes:
Sally Ann: Polly got in one good peck before that cat killed her. Good for Polly!
Hugh: I certainly never realized that Polly had such a big pecker.

Fun horror/anthology movie

Rating: 7/10

"Cat's Eye" is another horror anthology movie that I found to be a nice companion piece with "Twilight Zone: The Movie". The thing that surprised me about this film is that it's a suspense comedy loaded with thrills galore and dark humor. Instead of four separate tales, "Cat's Eye" has just three, with a plucky tabby cat intervening through all three stories. And all three segments are directed by the same man (Lewis Teague). Stephen King wrote all three segments, with the first two segments based on short stories written by King. The first segment is a black comedy starring James Woods in some of the funniest acting that he's ever done as a man who wants to quit smoking. He goes to a place called Quitters, Inc. This clinic is run by a most unusual doctor played by comedian Alan King. Woods finds out quickly that their methods of trying to make smokers quit are odd. Very, very odd. This story isn't really scary but it's downright hilarious with Woods trying desperately to kick the habit. King is also very funny as the doc. This is a very good segment. But my favorite segment of "Cat's Eye" is the second one. The late Kenneth McMillan stars as a ruthless gambler who kidnaps a tennis player (Robert Hays from "Airplane!") who's been doing a little you-know-what on his wife. McMillan makes a strange bet with the tennis pro: walk on top of a short ledge around the gambler's high rise building 50-60 stories up. This segment is a scary one, with a few touches of black humor (even though this segment isn't as funny as the first one). King wrote the third segment directly for the screen. He wrote it for a then very young pre-teen Drew Barrymore (who a year earlier starred in King's "Firestarter"). Barrymore plays a little girl who takes that tabby cat in to live with her after the cat runs into her house. The reason why the cat ran into her house: kitty spotted a little tiny gremlin strolling into the place. The cat comes in and tries to save the day. This segment is silly but fun. All in all, "Cat's Eye" is an underrated gem. Funny, scary, and entertaining.

*** (out of four)

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