Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985): A Horror Anthology With Drew Barrymore
Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985) weaves three tales of peril through the eyes of a stray cat who ends up being the hero of the story.
Cat’s Eye
Director: Lewis Teague
Country: USA
In the early 1980s, Stephen King’s movie career flourished, with numerous adaptations of his books and stories making their way to the big screen each year.
Cat’s Eye was one of three King film adaptations released in 1985 alone, the other being Silver Bullet and Maximum Overdrive. During this period, anthology movies were also gaining popularity, and Cat’s Eye became the second King-inspired anthology film of the decade, following Creepshow in 1982.
Cat’s Eye features three King stories, two initially published in King’s anthology book Night Shift. This book also includes stories like “Sometimes They Come Back” and “Children of the Corn.” While “Children of the Corn” was adapted into a feature film in 1984, “Sometimes They Come Back” was considered for inclusion in Cat’s Eye (instead of “The Ledge”), but producer Dino de Laurentiis adapted it into a movie in 1991, eventually leading to two sequels: Sometimes They Come Back… Again (1996) and Sometimes They Come Back… for More (1998).
Introducing General
The anthology introduces a stray cat named General as a connecting element across all the segments.
General is on a mystical mission to save a young girl named Amanda (played by nine-year-old Drew Barrymore, who had just finished helming Firestarter), who appears in its visions, pleading for help. This cat’s journey weaves through each story, risking nearly all of its nine lives as it travels across the country to reach Amanda.
Segment #1: “Quitters Inc.”
After being chased by Cujo and nearly getting run over by Christine, General is abducted off the streets of New York City and taken to “Quitters Inc.,” a company that employs extreme methods to enforce smoking cessation. He is then used to demonstrate Dr. Vinnie Donatti’s (Alan King) patented electric shock room.
On a friend’s recommendation, chain-smoker Richard Morrison (James Woods, who smoked real cigarettes during filming despite having quit years earlier) visits Quitters Inc. to kick his habit. Before he can reconsider, he learns that if he refuses to quit smoking, they will harm his wife and daughter. Vincent sends a henchman to spy on Richard to ensure compliance, and one relapse is enough to convince him to stick with the program.
The segment delves into the dark side of addiction, something King famously grappled with, and the extreme measures some might take to overcome it. However, it is a black comedy set to The Police’s song “Every Breath You Take” (in a cheaper version due to the original being too costly).
Barrymore appears as Richard’s daughter, Alicia Morrison, replacing his mentally challenged son from the short story. There is also a clip of The Dead Zone (1983) on a TV set and a paperback copy of Pet Sematary. King makes a cameo during a commercial for the company.
Segment #2: “The Ledge”
General escapes from the clinic and takes a ferry to Atlantic City, New Jersey, setting the stage for the next story, “The Ledge.”
The cat finds itself caught in a busy intersection, where a ruthless casino mogul, Cressner (Kenneth McMillan), and his friends place bets on whether our furry friend will get run over while crossing the street. They even go as far as to coax the animal into traffic for their twisted amusement.
General makes it across safely, so Cressner takes it to his high-rise penthouse apartment, where he forces tennis instructor Johnny Norris (Robert Hays) to walk around the narrow ledge of the building (shot on a sound stage in Wilmington and using miniature models to represent the city below) as punishment for sleeping with his wife. Cressner promises Johnny his freedom, wife, and money if he can make it around the building without falling.
Johnny faces numerous challenges, including high winds, Cressner’s sadistic tricks (such as a fire hose), and a pesky pigeon that keeps pecking at his ankle.
Luckily, General unwittingly helps to thwart Cressner’s plans. The cat escapes, hitching a ride on a train to its next adventure.
Segment #3: “General”
In the final segment, “General,” which King wrote specifically for the movie to help tie the different stories together, the stray cat finally reaches Wilmington, North Carolina, where Amanda, the girl from his visions, lives (Wilmington also served as the primary filming location for Cat’s Eye, including the scenes set in Manhattan and Atlantic City).
At the same time, a troll appears and tries to steal Amanda’s breath while she sleeps. This creature was played by a tiny person in a troll suit, designed by Carlo Rambaldi (who also created E.T.). It also featured the voice of Frank Welker (known for voicing characters in TV shows and movies like Scooby-Doo, Inspector Gadget, Transformers, The Real Ghostbusters, and Gremlins).
When the troll kills their pet bird, Amanda’s mother (Candy Clark) wrongly blames General and sends him to an animal shelter to be euthanized. The tension builds as the cat attempts to escape and return in time to save Amanda.
The climactic showdown between the cat and the troll includes scale sets, the troll floating around the room on balloons, spinning on a record player (with “Every Breath You Take” playing once again), and various early green screen effects.
After General defeats the troll, Amanda’s parents believe her story upon finding the creature’s remains. The film concludes on a heartwarming note, reminiscent of a Purina Cat Chow commercial: General is hailed as a hero and welcomed as a permanent family member.
Some Interesting Facts About the Production of Cat’s Eye
Executive produced by Dino De Laurentiis and co-produced by Milton Subotsky (formerly of Amicus Films), Cat’s Eye diverges from previous King adaptations by embracing a more family-friendly tone. It was also the first of all the King adaptions to receive a PG-13 rating from the MPAA, which allowed it to be viewed by a broader audience, including teenagers.
Cat’s Eye also marked a shift in director Lewis Teague’s approach, becoming notably more accessible than some of his previous works. Before this film, Teague had directed two successful genre films, including the cult favorite Alligator (1980) and the King adaptation Cujo (1983), alongside non-genre projects. Following Cat’s Eye, Teague shifted toward directing more family-friendly fare, such as The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Collision Course (1989), and Navy Seals (1990).
Also at the height of his craft was composer Alan Silvestri, who composed his iconic music for Back to the Future in the same year he scored Cat’s Eye, marking 1985 as a significant period in his career. Both scores are markedly different, with Cat’s Eye having a smaller budget and fewer musicians than Back to the Future. It even featured a cue initially used in The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981).
However, the highlight of Cat’s Eye will always remain the omnipresence of our grey tabby named General, portrayed by 14 cats, all trained by Carl Miller, who also served as the animal trainer on the set of Cujo.
Looking for Other Stephen King Cat Movies?
Here are a few other Stephen King movies where cats play a memorable role:
About the authors
Justin McKinney was coerced over to the dark side by a late-night viewing of Night of the Living Dead (1968) as a child. He has worked on and appeared in several low-budget horror films (Descend into Darkness 1 and 2, Brain Drain, Loonies, Dance of the Dead, Fatal Delusions, Witch Graveyard, Chubby Killer, Slice N Dice, Phantom Limb, Day of 1000 Screams, and others) and has contributed reviews to numerous websites, magazines, and books, including Horror 101: The A-List of Horror Films and Monster Movies, Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks, When Animal Attack: The 71 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, Evil Seeds: The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children, Seminal Cinema, Horrorpedia, and his blog, The Bloody Pit of Horror. His original screenplay, One Last Photo, is part of the horror anthology Screams of a Summer Day.
Vanessa Morgan is the editor of When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, Strange Blood: 71 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampires Movies, Evil Seeds: The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children, and Meow! Cats in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Movies. She also published one cat book (Avalon) and four supernatural thrillers (Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside, A Good Man, and Clowders). Three of her stories became movies. She introduces movie screenings at several European cinemas and film festivals and is also a programmer for the Offscreen in Brussels. When she is not writing, you will probably find her eating out or taking photos of felines for her website, Traveling Cats.
This movie review was previously published in the book Meow! Cats in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Movies.
A wonderful review of Cats Eye. Well done.
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