by Mark Murton
Directed by: John Patterson
This review contains a Kitty Carnage Warning!
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: In this made-for-TV movie allegedly “based on a true story,” the residents of a group of new houses experience disturbing supernatural phenomena and discover their homes are built on land formerly used as a cemetery. Central to the story are Jean and Shag Williams (Patty Duke and David Selby) and their grand-daughter Carli (Kimberly Cullum).
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Early on Carli is shown sleeping with a stuffed kitty, but it’s almost half an hour in before a real cat puts in an appearance as the family celebrate their first Christmas in their new home and Carli receives a ginger and white tabby kitten (who she cleverly names Ginger) as a present. Her older sister Tina (Kiersten Warren) joins in playing with the cat.
Ignoring the maxim “A cat isn’t just for Christmas,” Ginger is promptly forgotten for nearly another half hour (and a considerable timespan in the story judging by how she’s grown!) until the increasingly spooked Carli comes into her grandparents’ bedroom one night carrying the now-adult cat and proclaiming, “Ginger can’t sleep; she’s scared.”
Carli climbs into bed with them, along with Ginger who almost immediately jumps off the bed onto the floor and out of sight.
Later still, Jean sees one of their neighbours, W. D. Marshall (Blake Clark), in his garden with a divining rod. He explains he got it after reading a magazine article entitled “Dowsing for the Dead,” and Jean asks if she can try it on her land. Experiencing nothing, she calls over Carli to get her to try. Carli approaches holding Ginger and hands the cat to Jean before taking the rod.
As Carli moves around the yard the wind suddenly picks up and rustles through the branches of the prominent garden tree as Ginger becomes restless and growls.
Nearing the tree, the rod is suddenly ripped from Carli’s hands. At the same moment Ginger jumps from Jean’s arms with a Poor Cat Screech and runs off. Carli gives chase but fails to find her.
Ginger has been missing for several days when at the house the heavily pregnant Tina enters the kitchen to get a glass of water. The glass slips from her hand causing the rest of the family to rush in. While the others tend to Tina, Carli is attracted by a scratching at the door and she opens it to find Ginger trying to get in. Excitedly, she gathers up the cat.
Carli notices that her kitty has gotten bigger and Jean explains that Ginger’s not fat but pregnant. The poor cat is looking decidedly worse for wear.
Kitty Carnage Warning! A few days later Jean receives a call telling her Tina is in labour and she and Carli rush to the car to go to the hospital. After getting into the car Carli screams when sees Ginger on the back seat having just given birth to a litter of deformed kittens. It’s not clear what the “kittens” are made of but it looks like a combination of paper maché and pink plastic bendy straws.
Jean quickly hurries Ginger out of the car before gathering up and disposing of the kittens as the distressed Carli pleads with her “Don’t kill ‘em. They’re alive!”
On yet another night, Jean and Shag are again woken by strange noises and seeing a shadow on the door they think it’s Carli again, but when they go to her room to check on her she is fast asleep with Ginger on the bed beside her.
At the film’s conclusion, the supernatural events have escalated to a new level and the family reluctantly make the decision to leave, with Ginger appearing one last time as they load the car. The animal trainer on the film was Nicholas Toth.
Final Mewsings: Cats should have a say in where their family decides to live.
Relevant Links:
To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and Twitter.