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Forbidden Films

Paul Schrader Talks Cat People

Season 1, Ep. 14
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"We are a incestuous race. We can only make love with our own, otherwise we transform. And before we can become human again, we must kill." Wayne Kramer and Barry Germansky are joined by legendary writer-director Paul Schrader for this very special episode. Schrader takes our duo behind the scenes of the sexiest horror film of the 1980s, and, like his films, he doesn't hold back. Wayne and Paul share their personal obsessions for the seductive star of Cat People, Nastassja Kinski, but only one of them got within swatting distance of the most alluring femme fatale of the early 80s and lived to tell about it. Schrader's film, scripted by Alan Ormsby and loosely inspired by the Jacques Tourneur 1942 B-movie chiller, is a sumptuous visual masterpiece that has stood the test of time, thanks in no small part to the design supervision of the legendary Ferdinando Scarfiotti (The Last Emperor, American Gigolo, Scarface). With a cast that includes the always estimable John Heard, the always desirable Annette O'Toole, the disarming Ed Begley, Jr., and the commanding Ruby Dee, Cat People remains one of the most underrated studio films of the 80s. Soundtracked by the genius of Giorgio Moroder, with a signature David Bowie end title song, and stellar make-up FX by Tom Burman, this one more than earns its place in what is possibly the greatest year of modern fantasy releases that included Blade Runner, The Thing, E.T., The Road Runner, The Road Warrior, Conan the Barbarian, Poltergeist, and Stark Trek II. So, slurp back some oysters, cuddle up next to your favorite kitty, and hit play for some very R-rated remembrances from a cinematic arsonist still putting out his fires with gasoline.

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