kevin olzak 1973's "The Cat Creature" marked the first of two collaborations between producer Douglas Cramer with director Curtis Harrington and screenwriter Robert Bloch, followed a year later by "The Dead Don't Die," each a rather obvious homage to old style Hollywood horror of the subtle kind, perfect TV fodder for the 70s. Generally regarded as the better of the pair, this item gathers together a fine cast of veterans, mostly in small roles, in an all too predictable mystery plot headlined by Stuart Whitman's lieutenant and David Hedison's archaeologist. We first encounter Kent Smith, from the 1942 "Cat People," as the appraiser who becomes the first victim of the Egyptian mummy, which assumes human form after draining the blood of its prey, a vampire that prowls the night as a black cat and not a bat. The list of casualties wipes out nearly the entire cast, each one in possession of the mysterious golden amulet that has kept the mummy's spirit from returning to life over the centuries. Keye Luke plays the thief who pawns off the amulet, Gale Sondergaard the curio dealer who dabbles in the occult when not fencing stolen goods, Milton Parsons the coroner who reveals how each corpse has been completely drained of blood, John Abbott (the title role in 1945's "The Vampire's Ghost") the scholar who discovers the translation on the coveted amulet. Peter Lorre Jr. was no relation to the late Peter Lorre, just a pretender named Eugene Weingand who fortunately went on to complete obscurity. In the central role, Meredith Baxter never seems totally comfortable, a replacement for both Diahann Carroll and Patty Duke. As the Hotel Clerk who is present for the death screams of the unfortunate thief, John Carradine is as always a delight, paired with a dwarf prostitute because the censors wouldn't allow Gale Sondergaard's character to be a lesbian!

mark.waltz This is all about Gale Sondergaard, the veteran Oscar winning actress, blacklist survivor and brilliant portrayer of sadistic villainy. Back on the screen after 20 years of obscurity thanks to the McCarthy era, she's continuing where she left off in "Anthony Adverse", "Maid of Salem", " The Letter", "The Blue Bird", "The Black Cat", "The Spider Woman", "Road to Rio" and the many other classics where she was the screen's perfect "dark lady". There's something delightfully nefarious about her character of Hester Black who runs a specialty store for the dark arts, hiring Meredith Baxter after her previous clerk commits suicide. With the police on her trail, she seems calmly involved in murder, putting the naive Baxter in danger. David Hedison, as a professor of the supernatural, gets involved as he makes an obsession over solving this mystery. Pretty silly and melodramatic, this is raised a notch by that sweet disposition which is obviously hiding years of secrets and agendas. Stuart Whitman is the determined police investigator who won't stop, even under the threat of tarot card death. This really keeps you glued, thanks to a sinister looking black cat who yowls like a plaster statue moving its snarling mouth open and closed. Sondergaard is basically playing an older version of the character she played in all those spooky comedy's of the 1930's and 40's. John Carradine has a rather pointless cameo. Other veteran actors (Keye Luke and John Abbott) are wasted as well. Sondergaard ends up being the entire show, looking like she's having a ball.

Rainey Dawn Another "well it had potential" type of films. It's not all that watchable despite the big names, familiar faces that appear in it. I love the idea behind the film: A mummy, the Egyptian goddess Bastet and cats getting revenge. But the way it was written and filmed really sucked more than any vampire. I'm sorry but the film is barely watchable.Meredith Baxter and John Carradine are the real reasons to watch out side of the cats, some Egyptian looking art and briefly a mummy. It's a film I should like but I don't - and I love a lot of "B" to "Z" grade films.Not a recommended horror film from me. But if you happen to catch it on one night and there's nothing else to watch then I would tell you well it's better than nothing if you're a horror fan.3.5/10

patlange-4 This is a very silly story, but I loved seeing a very young Meredith Baxter along with gothic/horror film regulars of the 30s and 40s such as John Carradine, Peter Lorre and Gale Sondergaard. Oh, and Charlie Chan's Number One Son Keye Luke.