cult film freak: STEPHEN KING'S OTHER HORROR ANTHOLOGY FILM 'CAT'S EYE'

Robert Hays stuck again in a very high place for CAT'S EYES Year: 1985 Rating: ***1/2

Iconic horror author Stephen King, backing his second anthology horror after the successful CREEPSHOW by his good friend George A. Romero and CAT'S EYE by his CUJO director Lewis Teague, doesn’t just write spooky ghost stories strictly befitting the horror genre, he conveys edgy, unimaginable nightmares...

And in the first and best of three tales, being involved in the mafia — with or without having knowledge of it — can be pretty frightening, intimidating, and possibly lethal: for the entire family...

James Woods in CAT'S EYES

Enter James Woods as everyman businessman Dick Morrison who, as recommended by a friend (with friend's like these), signs up with QUITTERS INC., a white-walled stuffy office that, run by Alan King’s shrewd Italian Dr. Vinny, will do anything to make sure you never light up again…

Which includes the coolest scene of the vignette — when Dick starts jonesing at the dead of night (during a crashing thunderstorm no less), and he sees something, or rather, someone... lurking in the closet. Turns out those agents are everywhere and even Dick's gorgeous wife (Mary D'Arcy) and daughter (Drew Barrymore in a bad wig) are in jeopardy.

James Woods in CAT'S EYES

QUITTERS INC. is a tense dark comedy both suspenseful and humorous, with James Woods perfect in the main role (his characters always seem like they have a rabid monkey on his back) as a smoker suffering hallucinations and putting his family’s life on the line for just… one… more... puff!

His Dick Morrison seems readymade for the character-actor’s jittery style. And in this particular case there’s a very legitimate beginning, middle, and clever twist ending reminiscent of THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

Kenneth McMillan taunts Robert Hayes in The Ledge of CAT'S EYE

The second story, simply named THE LEDGE, is a Noir style thriller where a tennis playboy is in love with a beautiful and vulnerable and very married woman, but not without a heavy price...

For when Robert Hays, as handsome Johnny Norris, winds up on the penthouse of a lush building, he’s given an opportunity to maybe not die: that is, if he walks around the titular ledge of the skyscraper without falling, he’ll get money and his girl, who happens to be the wife of fat, ugly and powerful Kenneth McMillan as mob boss Cressner, sporadically peeping through windows and making the already difficult task practically impossible.

Wide shot of THE LEDGE from CAT'S EYE with Robert Hays on the right

One hilarious scene has a pigeon pecking Johnny’s heels. The building itself is like an ominous character of impending doom, replete with various obstacles and is truly horrifying — especially when looking down, down, down (this is a breezier version of SOMETHING TO TIDE YOU OVER from King’s short story collaboration CREEPSHOW involving a sadistic millionaire and his wife’s handsome lover given a torturous ultimatum).

All three tales are connected to a cat that wanders around from each location, overseeing the main characters: think Rod Serling with whiskers (it's even chased by a St. Bernard ala Teague's CUJO)...

Christine the Killer Car makes a cameo... But who's driving her in CAT'S EYE

In QUITTERS the resilient feline meanders into the hands of an agency henchman — then is put inside a glass room with tin floors and is shocked while vintage rock music plays: showing James Woods what will happen if he doesn’t stop smoking: but not to him, but his beautiful wife...

And in THE LEDGE the cat runs into the arms of the mob boss after crossing the street, almost getting squashed by traffic (including Stephen King's cherry red CHRISTINE herself). The feline also winds up on the ledge, sort of a guardian angel to the seemingly doomed antagonist.

Drew Barrymore holds the nomadic feline after battling a tiny troll in CAT'S EYE

Turns out, the entire time the cat’s being "called upon" by Drew Barrymore, the star of the third and weakest entry that takes place in a small town where a tiny lethal troll stalks little Amanda in her bedroom — attempting to “steal her breath” while she's asleep (but fans hate Candy Clark's cat-loathing mom more than the troll).

THE GENERAL is the only venture not based on a short story but written for the screen. King was obviously influenced by the TV movie classic TRILOGY OF TERROR where, in the popular third outing, Karen Black is chased in her apartment by a tiny doll. So while it's fun seeing the troll and cat battle it out for Amanda's life, the story is one-dimensional and ultimately lackluster: not the best for last in the case of CAT'S EYE.