“Don’t Let the Cat Out” is a twisted, audacious horror film that blends psychological torment and supernatural terror to create a feline-obsessed nightmare. Directed by Tim Cruz, the film takes a familiar horror setup and injects it with a deranged, uniquely bizarre premise.
Charlie (Anthony Del Negro), an unsuspecting house sitter, has been hired by a professional couple (Cerina Vincent, Jordan James Smith) to watch their home and beloved cat on Halloween night. He quickly finds his quiet night spiraling into chaos when the homeowners reveal their horrifying intentions: to transfer the soul of their ailing pet into Charlie’s body. What follows is a grim, blood-soaked descent into madness, blending dark humor with unsettling occult horror.
The movie walks a fine line between horror and comedy, but it never goes full camp. It’s more awkwardly funny than outright hilarious, which somehow makes it even more disturbing. The couple’s anticipatory grief over their cat is weirdly relatable, and the film does a surprisingly good job of making their obsession feel uncomfortably real. At its heart, this is a deeply unnerving story about the bizarre ways humans cope with grief.
Parts of the film become frustrating, especially when the characters make a string of very bad decisions, and the offbeat logic of the story grows too ridiculous to brush off. But if you just roll with it, you’ll find a wild and unpredictable ride that’ll have you screaming “WTF?!!!”
Even when it grows uncomfortably dark and weird, “Don’t Let the Cat Out” is wholly unique and outrageously creative. This is a genre film that dares to be weird and grim, and that makes it unforgettable.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 