Original Air Date: January 15, 1962
Starring: Boris Karloff, Ursula Andress, Alejandro Rey
Directed by: Ida Lupino

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

Synopsis: An aspiring painter (Alejandro Rey) saves a young woman named Luana (Ursula Andress) from drowning after three men throw her into the river believing she is a witch.  He shelters her from her grandmother (Jeanette Nolan), an old woman known to locals as La Strega or “The Witch,” but can they escape the woman’s curse?

Featured Feline: As can be expected, La Strega owns a black cat which is her familiar.  It is seen during Boris Karloff’s introduction sitting beside the old woman and then in the woman’s arms.

After La Strega curses the painter Tonio, he sees his portrait of Luana turn into the old woman.  He rips up the picture in horror and throws it into the stove.  Moments later it bursts into flames and Tonio and Luana see the cat’s face in the fire.

Needing to convince himself that the stories of witches are true, Tonio insists that he, Luana and his friend Maestro Giuliano (Ramon Novarro) go into the woods where a ritual is supposedly taking place.  Sure enough they find La Strega with her cat and a group of fellow worshippers dancing around the fire (looking more like an interpretive dance troupe than a witch’s coven.)

To Tonio’s astonishment the group disappears and then he finds The Maestro has been murdered.  After Tonio and Luana leave the cat is seen hovering over the man’s body.

Finally Tonio goes to La Strega’s home to confront her.  When he enters she is petting the cat which is sitting on her lap.  The cat disappears during this scene and is not seen again in the episode.

Final Mewsings: If a cat’s face in the fire doesn’t convince you there are witches, nothing will!

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