Spoilers · the ending
Cat People: the ending, explained
Jacques Tourneur · 1942
This page gives the ending away. Not seen the film yet? Its spoiler-free guide is here.
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Spoilers · the ending
Jacques Tourneur · 1942
This page gives the ending away. Not seen the film yet? Its spoiler-free guide is here.
What happens
Dr. Judd tries to kiss Irena and is killed by a panther. Wounded, Irena frees the zoo's panther and dies as it escapes. Oliver and Alice find her body and finally accept that she told the truth.
The last image
Oliver and Alice stand over Irena's body, bound together by grief and relief.
What it says
The film spends its length letting you doubt Irena, then ends on pity. Judd's rationalism is punished, and Oliver and Alice's relief is shadowed by what it cost her. The real horror was how little anyone believed her.