The Shadow of the Cat (1961)

Directed by: John Gilling

This review contains a Kitty Carnage Warning!

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: A cat named Tabitha witnesses the murder of her mistress and makes sure the woman’s killers are duly punished.

Featured Feline: The film begins with Tabitha listening to her beloved owner Ella Venable (Catherine Lacey) reading Poe’s The Raven aloud.

The Shadow of the Cat - Ella Venable Catherine Lacey reading to tabby cat Tabitha

Tabitha hears a noise but Ella assures her it’s just the old house. Unfortunately it is the butler Andrew (Andrew Crawford) who comes in and bludgeons the old woman to death as Tabitha watches from a hidden spot. All of the shots which are from Tabitha’s point of view were filmed through an unsqueezed anamorphic lens to give it a unique persepective.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha hiding behind books

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha watching Ella Catherine Lacey murdered by Andrew Crawford animated gif

It turns out that Ella’s husband Walter (André Morell) has conspired with Andrew and the maid Clara (Freda Jackson) to kill his wife and inherit her money with a phony will. Tabitha follows and watches as Andrew and Walter bury Ella in the woods.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha hiding in bushes

The trio are obsessed with the fact that Tabitha witnessed the murder and are determined to catch and kill her, but the cat is smart enough to avoid them.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha sitting on statue

At one point they follow Tabitha into the basement. Walter stalks the cat, who is seen in the background with eyes glowing and blinking . . . or rather a fake cat with a light behind its eyes turning on and off.

The Shadow of the Cat - fake tabby cat Tabitha with eyes lit in darkness

The Shadow of the Cat - fake tabby cat Tabitha with blinking eyes animated gif

Tabitha jumps on Walter in the basement and sends him into a major conniption fit.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha preparing to pounce

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha jumping onto Walter André Morell animated gif

Walter sends for Elizabeth (Barbara Shelley), Ella’s favorite niece, the real heir of the estate. He hopes to assure her that Ella really did cut her out of her will. Elizabeth is appalled at how terrified everyone seems to be of Tabitha, especially Andrew whose face has been clawed. Tabitha appears on Elizabeth’s balcony with glowing eyes (another fake cat) but then comes in for pets, the sweet cat she remembered.

The Shadow of the Cat - fake tabby cat Tabitha on balcony with eyes glowing

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha being petted by Elizabeth

Kitty Carnage Warning! A plot is hatched to catch Tabitha by luring her into a cage with mice. There more Venables are brought in to help with this plan and to also help Walter locate the real will. Sadly it works and Andrew roughly scruffs the poor cat and shoves her into a bag to take her into the swamp and drown her.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha close up

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha outside cage trap

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha being held up by scruff by Andrew Crawford

Fortunately Tabitha manages to get out of the bag and then lures Andrew toward some quicksand where he stupidly falls in and gets sucked under as she watches.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha watching Andrew drown

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha watching Andrew Crawford drowning in quicksand animated gif

When Tabitha returns to the house she jumps at Clara who falls down the stairs.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha getting ready to jump on Clara

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha jumping onto Clara Freda Jackson and knocking her down the stairs animated gif

Next on the list is Walter, who is dispatched with the help of the criminal nephew Jacob (William Lucas) who leaves the window open so Tabitha can get in. She proceeds to scare Walter to death.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha looking over top of bed

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha climbing onto bed with Walter André Morell animated gif

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha sitting on Walter André Morell in bed

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha inching closer to Walter André Morell in bed animated gif

In a delightfully adorable moment, Tabitha is seen playing with a ball of string, apparently delighted that her enemies have been dispatched. Or maybe just to remind us she is, after all, just a sweet kitty.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha playing with ball of yarn

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha playing with ball of yarn animated gif

Driven mad by the sight of Tabitha on Walter’s coffin, Jacob chases her to the roof and tries to kill her but ends up falling to his death.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha with eyes glowing on coffin

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha crouching on roof

Jacob’s father, Edgar (Richard Warner) looks in the attic for the will and finds it behind a portrait of Tabitha.

The Shadow of the Cat - Edgar Richard Warner looking at portrait of tabby cat Tabitha on wall

The cat appears and Edgar frantically runs around the unstable attic trying to kill her. He ends up getting crushed by a falling beam.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha being chased by Edgar Richard Warner in attic animated gif

Tabitha leads newspaper man Michael (Conrad Phillips) and the police to the woods where Ella has been buried.

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha entering room

The Shadow of the Cat - tabby cat Tabitha leading police to Ella buried in ground

The film ends with the house having been leased and a new family moving in talking about a grandfather who won’t change his will. It is hard to believe that Elizabeth would have left Tabitha behind after showing her such fondness.

The Shadow of the Cat - close up of tabby cat Tabitha

For more on the changing cat actors, trainer John Holmes (not that John Holmes!) and some bizarre behind the scenes stories, read our special feature Will the Real Tabitha Please Stand Up?