The Leopard Man (1943)

May 8, 1943 (US) • Horror, Mystery, Crime • 66m

Overview

When a leopard escapes during a publicity stunt, it triggers a series of murders.

Director

Dennis O'Keefe

Keywords

fortune teller cult leopard psycho publicity stunt proto-slasher

Where to watch

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Sidney D'Albrook

Waiter Serving Helene and Dwight (uncredited)

Crew

Reviews

John Chard

⭐ 7/10

September 15, 2019

Someday you'll try on my coffin and I hope it fits you just perfect.

Horror producer supreme Val Lewton teams up for the third and last time with director Jacques Tourneur to bring us The Leopard Man. Set in New Mexico, the story sees Jerry Manning (Dennis O'Keefe) hire a black leopard as a publicity stunt for his night-club performing partner, Kiki (Jean Brooks). Her rival, Clo Clo (Margo), is not impressed and promptly scares the animal into running away into the night. Pretty soon there is a panic looking as the cat appears to be mauling people to death. However, Manning & Kiki, driven by guilt, join the hunt for the rogue animal - but Manning is starting to believe the killings are not of the animal's doing...

Based on the book "Black Alibi" written by Cornell Woolrich, The Leopard Man's only crime is that it's not as great as its two predecessors, Cat People & I Walked With A Zombie. Rest assured, though, this is still a quality Lewton/Tourneur production. As a story it's simple and straight, with a running time of just over one hour keeping it lean and devoid of pointless waffle, but the piece positively thrives on its atmosphere - dealing as it does in murky shadows and unease inducing periods of silence. It also boasts a number of sequences that linger long in the memory, be it blood seeping under a door, the bend of a tree branch, or the dark under belly of a railway bridge, for such a short sharp shock of a movie there's so much to enjoy. The work of cinematographer Robert De Grasse (Vivacious Lady/The Body Snatcher) is top class and worthy of indulgence from the film noir loving crowd.

What you don't see is more effective on account of the eerie sense of dread that Messrs Lewton/Tourneur/De Grasse have built up. A fine film and proof positive that classic spookers could be made from relatively small budgets. 7/10

show less

Loading…

The Leopard Man (1943)

Cornell Woolrich, Ardel Wray

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

John Chard

Recommended Movies

The Matrix

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The Matrix Revolutions

The Matrix Reloaded

Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

Rate This Movie

Rate This TV Show