Cat's Eye (1985) User Reviews

Fun horror/anthology movie

[jhaggardjr · 7/10 · 19 September 2000]

"Cat's Eye" is another horror anthology movie that I found to be a nice companion piece with "Twilight Zone: The Movie". The thing that surprised me about this film is that it's a suspense comedy loaded with thrills galore and dark humor. Instead of four separate tales, "Cat's Eye" has just three, with a plucky tabby cat intervening through all three stories. And all three segments are directed by the same man (Lewis Teague). Stephen King wrote all three segments, with the first two segments based on short stories written by King. The first segment is a black comedy starring James Woods in some of the funniest acting that he's ever done as a man who wants to quit smoking. He goes to a place called Quitters, Inc. This clinic is run by a most unusual doctor played by comedian Alan King. Woods finds out quickly that their methods of trying to make smokers quit are odd. Very, very odd. This story isn't really scary but it's downright hilarious with Woods trying desperately to kick the habit. King is also very funny as the doc. This is a very good segment. But my favorite segment of "Cat's Eye" is the second one. The late Kenneth McMillan stars as a ruthless gambler who kidnaps a tennis player (Robert Hays from "Airplane!") who's been doing a little you-know-what on his wife. McMillan makes a strange bet with the tennis pro: walk on top of a short ledge around the gambler's high rise building 50-60 stories up. This segment is a scary one, with a few touches of black humor (even though this segment isn't as funny as the first one). King wrote the third segment directly for the screen. He wrote it for a then very young pre-teen Drew Barrymore (who a year earlier starred in King's "Firestarter"). Barrymore plays a little girl who takes that tabby cat in to live with her after the cat runs into her house. The reason why the cat ran into her house: kitty spotted a little tiny gremlin strolling into the place. The cat comes in and tries to save the day. This segment is silly but fun. All in all, "Cat's Eye" is an underrated gem. Funny, scary, and entertaining.

*** (out of four)

The best performance by a cat I have ever seen!

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 3 October 2015]

"Cat's Eye" is one of the better horror anthologies of the 1980s, mainly because there are no weak links among its three stories - they are all on about the same level. The first one, about a drastic way to quit smoking, may be the most memorable and nightmarish one (with a terrific performance by James Woods), but the second one, about a (literally) high-stakes bet, is also well-done, and the third, about a troll who lives inside the wall of a little girl's room, may be slightly too long, but it boasts impressive special effects by the prolific Carlo Rambaldi. The film also features what must be the BEST performance by a cat I have ever seen in any film. I don't how they made him (her? them?) obey their instructions so well, but it feels like watching just another professional actor! Be warned that there is a disturbing scene of animal cruelty at the start, but the cat does emerge as a classical movie hero by the end. A pretty good cocktail of horror and humor - and see how many Stephen King "inside joke" references you can spot! **1/2 out of 4.

Revenge of the 80's: From the Works of Stephen King.

[Captain_Couth · 7/10 · 7 August 2005]

Cat's Eye (1985) was another film that was based upon the written work of Stephen King. Two of the three stories were taken form the short story collection NIGHT SHIFT. The movie is actually a decent watch and fans of the original source material will enjoy it as well as the average fan. An added bonus is the fact that the man himself wrote the screenplay!!

The movie is about a cat that has many adventures. Along it's way, an image of a girl keeps the cat going to it's destination. Along the way, he meets a man who has a smoking problem who'll go to great lengths to try and snuff his habit and the other is a broken down tennis player who's given a chance to redeem himself by completing a simple task. The cat's final destination is a girl who's tormented by a nasty little dude. WIll the cat affect those that cross it's past? What is that little dude that lives in the hole in the wall? All answers will be answered when you watch CAT"S EYE!

A good adaptation and a nice film. The only thing I didn't like was the silliness of the last episode. Some of the events in the final chapter come off as very contrived and clichéd. Other than that I had no problems. An enjoyable movie.

Recommended.

An underrated Stephen King film that's in homage to "The Twilight Zone"

[mystic80 · 10 February 2000]

Stephen King adapted two of his short stories and wrote the third into this screenplay of suspense. The first story concerns a man (James Woods) trying to quit smoking by signing up for a clinic. That clinic just happens to be run by the mafia and they literally mean quit smoking with a seriously tough employee (Alan King) behind it. Even if it means tampering with your family's lives. The second concerns an again tennis pro (Robert Hays) who takes on the game of his life after having an affair with a mobster who is a gambling addict. The third follows a cat trying to protect a little girl whose being terrorised by a little demon jester. The suspense is good. Alan King is very good as the seriously tough employee and Woods is always good.

The second is very good with a surprising twist at the end and the third is a take on of old fairy tales where good triumphs over evil.

The paws have it

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 12 August 2019]

Stephen King goes to the Twilight Zone in this anthology all connected to a cat who is looking for a distressed girl.

In fact the first two stories could easily sit alongside Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Director Lewis Teague is just the right director for this type of movie. A graduate of Roger Corman's school of filmmaking and he had done an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

The first story has James Woods who tries to stop smoking. He visits a company that will make him stop or his loved one will suffer. He demonstrates it by electruciting the floor of a room which the cat is in.

Woods is tempted to smoke knowing he might put his wife in danger. It is blackly humorous and he realises once you stop smoking, do not put on weight.

The second story involves a casino boss who makes a bet with his wife's lover, Robert Hays. If Hays manages to walk around the thin ledge of a high rise building he can have his wife, if he does not Hays will be framed for dealing in drugs which has been planted in his car.

As Hays walks around the ledge the casino boss keeps things interesting by trying to put him off. However Hays gets an opportunity to the turn the tables.

The final story features Drew Barrymore as the troubled girl calling out to the cat. At night she is pestered by a malevolent troll who tries to steal her breath, the cat arrives to do battle with the troll.

Teague makes reference to other Stephen King adaptations. We see Cujo and Christine make Hitchcock type appearances and even the The Dead Zone is shown playing on television.

The first two stories are very effective in a twisted humorous way. The final story feels too long and seems more aimed at kids in a Grimm fairytale type of way.

Entertaining Black Humor

[dlmiley · 7/10 · 27 July 2000]

A trilogy of entertaining black humor. The first story is the strongest with the best stars. Alan King is deliciously evil as the head of Quitters, Inc., an anti-smoking group that uses mob tactics to stop its members from smoking. James Woods is excellent as Alan King's newest client.

The middle story is somewhat weaker entry starring Kenneth McMillan as a mobster who makes a lethal bet with Robert Hays after Hays steals his wife from him. A good story but not as good as the first.

The last story is the weakest entry of the three. An evil troll is out to steal Drew Barrymore's breath in this silly story. Our title cat tries to prevent that. The special effects for the troll doll are pretty good and the ending is funny. All-in-all an entertaining entry in the Stephen King collection of movies. A C+/B-

deliciously hammy anthology

[Jonny_Numb · 6/10 · 3 October 2003]

"Cat's Eye" is a well-done anthology of three horror stories scripted by Stephen King, joined together by the presence of an adorable gray tabby. The first tale has James Woods enlisting in a mafia-run quit-smoking program (headed by a deliciously hammy Alan King); the second creates ample suspense as a washed-up tennis pro (Robert Hays) is made to climb alongside a downtown highrise at the whim of a demented gambler (Kenneth McMillan); and the third has our heroic tabby battling a troll that's stealing little Drew Barrymore's breath, in a segment that's actually quite amusing. As the PG-13 rating implies, the usual extremes of King's fiction are toned-down or removed (although there are a few vicious moments, including a briefly-seen severed head), but the film doesn't suffer from it, and actually gives the more lighthearted, humorous elements a chance to shine. Definitely worth a look.

6/10

Cheesy, but entertaining

[Rectangular_businessman · 6/10 · 31 October 2012]

I don't consider this be a horror movie. Too be completely honest, I see this more like a comedy. At moments, I thought that it was some sort of parody of the stories written by Stephen King.

"Quitters, Inc." was the most absurd and random of the three stories. (I mean, even if the Clinic counselor is with the mafia, all what he did just to make one character stop smoking is unnecessarily complicated. What does he had to win anyway doing all that? And at end, why Dick Morrison still acts friendly towards the same counselor, as if nothing had happened?)

Everything was so cheesy and over the top in that part of the movie, but that's the main reason of why it was so funny to watch. I can even picture "Quitters, Inc." as being the plot of one South Park episode due the absurdity of it.

The second story, "The Ledge", was the most boring one. It had a couple of funny moments, but I found it to be completely forgettable for most part.

The third story, "General" was the most interesting one, without being so cheesy as "Quitters, Inc." Even when it could be seen as something dated by modern viewers, I think it is still worth-watching. I liked the idea of one cat being the hero of the story, opposed to the tired cliché of the "evil cat", which became so common in cartoons and horror films. The Troll character reminded me of the movie "Gremlins", and yet, I think that it was one of the most interesting characters from this film, which were mostly stereotypes.

"Cat's Eye" without being a masterpiece, at least provides a decent amount of entertainment value that other "horror" movies lack, specially those that take themselves way too seriously to the point of being pretentious.

Stephen King's Cat's Eye!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 15 November 2004]

One of Stephen King's greatest stories in My opinion turned into a live feature film is Cat's Eye! The film has three very interesting stories with some good actors including James Woods, Alan King, Kenneth McMillan, Robert Hays, Candy Clark, James Naughton, Drew Barrymore, Mike Starr, and Charles Dutton! The acting by all of these actors are very good. The stories as I mention are very good and funny in a way though the film is serious. Quitter's Inc is a unique story, The Ledge is arguably the best of the lot but My favorite one is The General. I love the little demon. He is so cute and mean looking at the same time and I am amazed how real looks! Carlo Rambaldi did an excellent job! The music by Alan Silvestri is great! If you like the cast mentioned above and love Stephen King then I strongly recommend Cat's Eye!

A surprisingly good adaptation of Stephen King.

[Shan-12 · 7/10 · 29 December 1998]

A movie divided into three parts, each separate story linked by the passage of a cat through it. The first two parts (Quitters' Incorporated and The Ledge) are well done adaptations of two short stories that are amongst Stephen King's best writing. Admittedly, they read better (you can find them both in the Night Shift collection) because a lot has to do with what the characters are thinking, which you can't really do on screen. However, they come about as close as possible here. The third part of the movie, I think is written specifically for the movie and wraps things up nicely. Well worth seeing.

A misunderstood movie, like most black humor.

[filipemanuelneto · 5/10 · 11 March 2017]

In this film, based on short stories by Stephen King, three stories intertwine through the same cat. The idea seems good and, in fact, its an interesting way to bring to the cinema stories that, alone, don't justify a feature length. The big problem with the film is that it doesn't immediately make clear that we're seeing a black humor movie. The public fills the theater expecting a horror film or a thriller and leaves very disappointed. It's one of those cases where they expects one thing and the movie is something different. Its the fault of the public? Partly yes. But let us go on. The film is divided into three parts but the cat has increased protagonism in the last. James Woods and Drew Barrymore (still making adorable child roles) are the most notorious actors, playing quite satisfactorily. You can never clearly tell what force pushes the cat through the film until find the girl and that is the biggest flaw in the movie for me. The film never scares us but it has a number of rather comical scenes that can impress the most sensitive people, given the kind of humor presented.

Fun and entertaining horror anthology.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 27 July 2005]

Lewis Teague's "Cat's Eye" contains three wry,humorous and creepy stories linked to the cat which roams from one tale to the next.First up there is my personal favourite "Quitters Inc.",the story of family man Mr Morrison(James Woods)who goes to a very unconventional place to help people quit smoking and has his life turned into a living hell.Secondly,there is "The Ledge",the tale of a washed-up tennis player who is forced to walk around the ledge of a hotel by a rich mobster after the tennis player steals his wife.And finally there is "The General",which involves a cat saving a little girl(Drew Barrymore)from a tiny goblin that comes in the night to take children's souls.The three stories are linked together by a cat that traverses from New York to Atlantic City to North Carolina."Cat's Eye" is more comic than horrifying.Still I enjoyed it very immensely and you should too,if you are a fan of Stephen King and his works.8 out of 10.

Feral cat tales

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 12 January 2016]

Three tales all connected with a feral cat who's tough and plucky are what makes up Cat's Eye. The cat has a mission, to get to young Drew Barrymore and save her from an evil troll who hides in her wall.

The first story involves James Woods and Alan King with Woods trying to quit smoking and King the head of a therapy group that has some really draconian methods to quit smoking. The cat is used as an object lesson and is tortured. As a cat lover I didn't care for it.

But the cat escapes and is next seen in Atlantic City where gangster Kenneth McMillan is going to use some torture himself on tennis bum Robert Hays who's been seeing McMillan's wife on the side. This is not a story for acraphobics of which I'm one.

But the last tale makes up for the other two as this plucky cat arrives in Wilmington, North Carolina and is taken in by Drew Barrymore's family. Too bad the cat could not speak lest he could have warned Drew's parents about what lies ahead for their child.

As a cat lover I love cat heroes so this inbalanced movie saved the best by far for last.

Stephen King - Overrated Dummy

[qormi · 1/10 · 20 February 2012]

I watched the first offering of this trilogy and when it was over, I turned it off. It was so mind-numbingly dumb, I was in a state of shock. I started watching it because I thought it was about a cat. Wrong. A lost cat just happened to travel around and the stories took place at places he journeyed to. The first story, starring James Woods as a person who seeks help from a service to help smokers kick the habit, was insanely stupid. Alan King was the owner of the service and he warned Woods that if he ever lit up a smoke, one of his agents would spot him and they would then have to do to his wife what they are going to do to this cat. He then pulls a curtain and we see a cat standing in a cage on top of a steel grid. He plays music and the cat then jumps as sparks emit from the now electrified grid. We see a cat being tortured. Woods then agrees to the terms. He soon gets spotted taking a toke and during his next visit to Alan King's office, we get to see his attractive young wife being tortured the same way as the cat was. She then collapses and cries. Then, Alan King tells Woods' character that the next consequence could be one of his employees raping his wife. Yes, he just comes out and says it. Or maybe they'll just cut off her little finger. The story ends when Woods and his wife dine with another couple. Woods notices that his friend's wife's little finger has the tip sliced off and has stitches. The end. How profound...not. Pure garbage from a sick, overrated mind.

Black comedy at its best.

[G.Spider · 28 July 1999]

An adaption of three of Stephen King's short stories, the linking theme being a cat whose purpose later becomes apparent. The first story, 'Quitters Inc' (from the book 'Night Shift') involves the titular company who will go to extreme lengths to ensure their clients quit the weed. 'The Ledge' (also from 'Night Shift') concerns a risky walk around a tall building. Both these stories are entertaining and filled with excellent humor and strong characters.

By comparison the third story, which is the climax to the whole thing, is pretty slow and dull, the only real humor being provided by a miniature troll-like creature. But this anthology is worth seeing for the first two stories alone, which are masterpieces.

Stephen King's stories following the newest cat-and-creature game as played through.

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 13 May 2023]

An anthology of three Stephen King short stories connected by a stray cat who wanders through each tale . Through the eye of the cat, a twisted tail of macabre suspense from the author of Carrie , The Shining and The dead Zone , the great Stephen King .

The film consists of three stories titled : ¨Quitters Inc." ¨The Ledge¨ and "The General" , being linked together by a cat as he wanders from city to city, seeking out a little girl : Drew Barrymore , in order to save her from a supernatural danger. As a result of it's wanderings, the cat plays a minor role in the first two stories and a significant part in the third. This is an acceptable trio of moggy-linked King tales , two of them adapted from his own short stories and the final section a celluloid 'original' . In the first James Woods chooses the wrong method to giving up smoking when he succumbs to the positively draconian services from a strange company run by Alan King, while suffering bizarre ciggie-filled hallucinations . In the second , cuckolded husband Kenneth McMillan forces his wife's toyboy Robert Hays into a potentially fatal climb around the outside walls of his penthouse . In third , little girl Drew Barrymore is given a bad time by a demon -fantastically created by Carlo Rambaldi (ET)- in the woodwork , while her pet cat takes the blame . In each instance , the limp pay-off undercuts enjoyable acting such as : a manic James Woods , an excessive Alan king , and the likable Drew especially , and the ordinary caveats about cumulatively unsatisfyng portmantau pictures certainly apply , Including King's moments of winking self-reference -a ringer for the car in Christine , a character reading Pet Sematary- hardly seem warranted in the circumstances. This Cat's Eye(1985) displays an adequate cinematography by classic cameraman Jack Cardiff , as well as a suspenseful and intriguing musical score by Alan Silvestri , being well directed by Lewis Teague.

Based on a Stephen King's story , the horror writer extraordinaire , he's a prolific writer , here dealing with a short tale dealing with a mysterious comet passes close within the Earth, machines all over the World come alive and go on homicidal rampages . King has a library load of books to his credit and a fan base of fanatic's eager to purchase any piece that pours from his platinum pen . Quite obviously many of his books have inspired movie adaptations, however surprisingly the transformation from page to cinema has not always been a successful one. Scanning a list of films based on King's work which features about 120 writing credits , there is a mixture of masterpieces and others average , flops or stinkers . On the one hand we have horror classics like Carrie, The Shinning, Misery and The Mist . And on the other hand , B-movies , blowouts or failures films such as Thinner, Maximum Overdrive, The Tommyknockers, Dreamcatcher , Running Man , Dolan's Cadillac and The Langoliers. And Hollywood keeps buying up the rights to more of Stephen King's stories other directors could take.

Fantasy. Humor. Terror.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 10 January 2004]

Stephen King fans delight. Not as good as his "Creep Show", but still fun to watch. Three tales with a feline as the catalyst. A troll visits a young girl's(Drew Barrymore)bedroom and causes havoc. A big time gambler(Kenneth McMillan)wants to get even with the over the hill tennis pro(Robert Hays)who is trying to steal his wife. And a man(James Woods) joins Quitter's Inc. to quit smoking and lives in fear of the consequences. I love how much humor can be found in horror. My favorite scene of all is when the gambler falls off the ledge landing on a horn. I've watched this seven times and will watch again. This is a must for King fans. Other players of note: Candy Clark, Alan King and Mary D'Arcy. Funniest line is by Clark when she is trying to capture the cat: "Come here you furry little bastard." Special effect sometimes lacking, but still a hoot to watch.

Could have more substance

[Mort-31 · 6/10 · 3 August 2001]

Three short stories by Stephen King, connected somewhat half-heartedly by having a cat appear in each of them. Only in the last episode, the cat is really important, in the others it is introduced arbitrarily. As I read, there has been a prologue to the film that gives the third episode more substance, more sense, as there usually is in Stephen King's horror stories, but the prologue was cut out by a producer. That's a pity because the General episode is really poor this way.

The other two are not quite frightening either, but they are nice, based on fine, little insane ideas, but I like such plots. The stories are not world-shattering like some others by King, but they are likeable and creative. This is the right movie to watch at Sunday night, not too early and not too late.

An above average Stephen King anthology

[LoneWolfAndCub · 6/10 · 24 January 2008]

"Cat's Eye" directed by Lewis Teague (who also directed King's "Cujo") steps up to the plate again to adapt three of Stephen King's short stories all of which are linked by a stray cat. With a few famous faces (Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Robert Hays and Alan King), this is a funny, suspenseful and a mostly well-made movie. Of note is the constant references to King's other work. In the opening scenes the cat is chased by a bloody St. Bernard (Cujo) and runs in front of a red car with a bumper sticker stating 'I'm Christine' (obviously Christine...). In the segment "Quitters Inc." a character is watching "The Dead Zone" and proceeds to say 'who writes this crap?' In the last segment "The General" a woman is reading Pet Semetary. All these references should make any King fan giggle and realise this movie is very tongue-in-cheek.

The first segment "Quitters Inc." is the best of the three (the short story is also extremely good). James Morrison (James Woods) decides to give up smoking by joining Quitters Inc. but at first finds their methods cruel and sadistic. Can he go along with their twisted game or will he fall to temptation? Also starring Alan King, this segment is at times funny and at times creepy with an ending sure to shock.

The second segment "The Ledge" is the second best of the three and is darkly funny. Johnny Norris (Robert Hays) becomes involved with a dangerous man, Cressner (Kenneth McMillian), who loves to wager. However, this particular one is rather twisted. The wager is, if Norris can climb around a ledge at the top of an apartment building he gets money, freedom and his girl. People with fears of heights will hate this segment as the majority of it is filmed up high and at times is very tense. Although in some scenes the special effects look rather dated this one is still a great watch.

The last and weakest segment "The General" with Drew Barrymore is about a troll who lives in the girl's bedroom and tries to steal her breath. However, the cat who we've been following is by her side, trying to protect her. I found this segment to be the worst. I found the story silly and uninteresting, the special effects were bad and it wasn't at all scary or funny.

But I don't want to end this review on a bad note because this movie was very watchable and a very faithful King adaptation. It was a mixture of horror and comedy with some good actors and a good score.

3/5

A Gem of the Black Humor

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 4 January 2005]

A stray cat witnesses weird and suspenseful events in three different cities.

In New York, Richard Morris (James Wood) is convinced by a friend to look for the support of the Quitter's Inc. to stop smoking. The unconventional and efficient procedure followed by the company terrifies Richard.

In Atlantic City, a powerful professional gambler, Cressner (Kenneth McMillan), makes a mortal bet with the tennis teacher and lover of his wife, Johnny Norris (Robert Hays).

In Wilmington, NC, a troll, living inside the wall of the bedroom, threatens the ten years old girl Amanda (Drew Barrymore).

These three tales are gems of the black humor, combining elements of suspense, comedy and horror. The first tale is very funny, with the situation where James Wood gets through without previous warning. The second tale is pure suspense, having some funny moments, and is certainly the darker story. And the last one shows a very sweet ten years old Drew Barrymore. The movement of camera in some moments recalls "Evil Dead". "Cat's Eye" is a great entertainment. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Olhos de Gato" ("Cat's Eyes")

Above-average horror anthology with a trio of strong tales

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 23 December 2015]

Yet another horror anthology, this time composed of three stories all linked together by a cat. Similar to THE UNCANNY, you might think, and you'd be right; Milton Subotsky's name even finds itself in the closing credits (after purchasing rights to loads of Stephen King short stories). But the thing that differentiates CAT'S EYE from other typical American horror anthologies (I mean the likes of CREEPSHOW 2 and TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE) is that for once, all of the stories are above average. Usually there's a couple of good ones, or one excellent, and the others being below average, but not in this case. The stories are taken from Stephen King shorts (apart from the last segment, which I can't really remember reading), and there are even a couple of gags for those in the know; a 1958 Plymouth Fury drives past in one scene, while another characters sees THE DEAD ZONE on television and asks "who writes this crap?".

The feel of the first story, with a terrified man trapped in a nightmare, desperate for a cigarette but unable to smoke for fear of harming his wife, is excellent, and James Woods is perfect in the role. Like all the best anthology segments, there's a twist in the tale and the episode really can't be bettered.

The second story is almost as good, and the journey around the ledge makes for some very taut and terrifying moments that will truly make your palms sweat (and it's even more effective if you're scared of heights like I am). Just check out the pigeon moment! Once again there's a twist ending and the segment is very enjoyable, especially the scene where the men wager on the cat's ability to cross a busy road.

The cat also features heavily in the final segment, coming off worst again before battling the nasty troll creature. This story is the least original of the three but it's entertaining enough, and even though I'm not much of an animal lover (who am I kidding?) the cat is very cute. Okay, that's it, I've ashamed myself now so I'll make my exit quickly and quietly...

Would have played out better as a TV series

[cricketbat · 5/10 · 28 December 2018]

Cat's Eye is strange. This movie would have played out better as a TV series. Trying to connect the stories with the cat and bizarre visions of Drew Barrymore didn't really work. It's not scary enough to frighten adults, but it deals with themes like quitting smoking and adultery, so it's not really for children. I guess teens might be the target audience, maybe?

Cat's Eye My Favorite Stephen King Movie

[InsideTheCastleWall · 10/10 · 22 December 2004]

Although I haven't seen all of Stephen King's films I have seen Pet Cemetery, Cat's Eye, Cujo, It, Carrie, Silver Bullet and The Dead Zone and all of these are great movies but Cat's Eye is my favorite so far.

Cat's Eye is a perfect example of a thriller and comedy flawlessly intertwined. The humor is great because it's deadpan therefore it doesn't take away from the suspense of the story at all. This movie is actually three mini-movies all in one and all three are events which the cat either witnessed or experienced.

This has very memorable characters and excellent acting by Alan King, James Woods, and a very young Drew Barrymore.

Vote: 10 (Excellent)

Underrated Trio of King Horror Tales

[ryan-10075 · 7/10 · 29 April 2019]

A stray cat thinly connects three tales of terror from the pen of Stephen King. The first is about a man named Dick Morrison (very good performance by James Woods) who is looking to quit smoking. He goes to Quitters Inc. where he meets Dr. Vinny Donatti (Alan King) who has some radical methods to make Woods smoke-free. Drew Barrymore also plays Woods' daughter. The second tale is about a former tennis pro named Johnny Norris (Robert Hays) who meets up with the hubby Cressner (Kenneth McMillian) of his lover. Hays gives in (not wanting to go to jail for the drugs Cressner has planted in his car) and tries to walk around the ledge (if memory serves correct it is on the 30th floor) to go around the building to try and win his love back. The final story and perhaps to me the weakest, although still good is about the cat (which now takes a starring role) battling a troll within young Drew Barrymore's bedroom. A big reason why this may be the weakest to me is because while it does have some great work by Carlo Rambaldi in creating the troll is there is some green screening going on. Which by my eye doesn't look very satisfying seeming the two images do not blend anywhere close to good together.

I would say this movie is like CREEPSHOW-light. Being rated PG-13 it is not loaded with gobs of gore and generally some younger audiences can watch this to get introduced to Stephen King's work.

The first two parts are based on King stories from the book NIGHT SHIFT, which I would recommend you read. Stephen King may be my favourite horror novelist and the author I have the read most of. His novels are generally pretty good, but to me it is his short stories to me really rock and I love the way he writes his shorter stories.

There are also nods to Stephen King films of this time frame as well, like CUJO (who director Lewis Teague also directed) and CHRISTINE in the opening. During the opening part Woods is watching THE DEAD ZONE as well. Finally in the final part Barrymore's mom is played by Candy Clark and is caught reading PET SEMATARY.

In the end I would recommend this one as I have enjoyed it many times over the years.

Seriously? King must have had writer's block...

[paulclaassen · 1/10 · 15 August 2020]

Although the logline says three tales are linked by a cat, this is in fact not true. There is no link. The cat simply walks out of a segment and into the next, but it could have been any cat. There's nothing significant about the cat.

Interesting, note how the dog in the beginning of the movie looks exactly like the rabid dog in 'Cujo', almost as if it was shot at the same time. (Same director, as well...). The first segment is an absurd idea about quitting smoking. Oh, c'mon, this was total crap, about a guy going to a company to help him stop smoking. This company, however, is so sadistic and evil, nothing they do is legal or believable. There was nothing interesting here for me - especially as a non-smoker.

The second segment is mainly about a guy walking on a ledge. There's nothing interesting here either. There's a bit of a back story, but it literally is about a guy walking around a building on a ledge. It's stupid. What the hell were you thinking, Mr King, writer's block??

The third segment was the best, but its not really saying much. The cat plays the biggest part here, as it protects a little girl from a troll visiting her at night. Oh, whatever...

Would I watch it again? No.