1946's "The Cat Creeps," no relation to the lost 1930 remake of "The Cat and the Canary," was truly the last gasp of Universal's Golden Era of horror films, and like its companion feature "She-Wolf of London" was already dated when released. An elderly woman claims that her pet, 'the cat that creeps,' can prove that a 15 year old suicide case was actually murder, with a politician, his daughter, her reporter boyfriend, and the rest show up on Gilligan's Island to solve the mystery (it's that bad). The murder victim is supposed to have hidden 200,000 dollars somewhere, and the creeping cat induces chuckles rather than chills. Clocking in at under an hour, the whole thing just seems endless, a sadly wasted solid cast rushing hither and yon (make that yawn), with Fred Brady quite lacking in the central role that Noah Beery Jr. was far better suited for (he's just the sidekick). Lois Collier, a regular fixture at Universal, made only one additional film for the studio, her screen career over by 1951 (the underused Rose Hobart by 1949). The one character that brings in a little supernatural atmosphere is played by unknown Iris Clive, who totaled only five other features, all Westerns. Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater aired this SHOCK! title an amazing seven times in 13 years, the same number as "She-Wolf," a conspicuous pair of Universal cheats, somehow appropriate for a last gasp lacking even in breath.
Review of The Cat Creeps
