The Cat Beast

The film is yet another variation on the familiar rape and revenge theme (I Spit on Your Grave territory). This time around we are shown that the vengeful, vice-busting Cat-Beast is the result of a ghastly gang rape which ended up with her birth (five minutes later) in some dark cave in the woods one stormy, cursed night. Her mother died upon child birth and the helpless infant was taken in by a stealthy black cat who was roaming the forest that fateful night and decided to adopt a human infant. This is how the child grew to become the awesome Cat creature – a cheerful, overworked domestic maid servant by day and crime busting Super Cat-Beast by night with special powers.

Directed by Shehnaz Begum, The Cat Beast leans on a strong ensemble — Shehnaz, Kamran Liaqat, Umar Daraz — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about horror titles of 1997.