Director Paul Schrader remakes the classic horror-thriller _Cat People_ as an erotic thriller, f**king it up royally. When Irena reunites with her estranged brother, she discovers a terrible family secret; that they are the descendants of cat people who turn into vicious panthers when they indulge in their sexual passions. While some of the names and relationships are the same as in the Val Lewton original, the plot wildly differs (and not for the better). Starring Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, and Annette O’Toole, the film has a pretty good cast; but the sex and violence comes off as rather seedy (especially with the incest subplot). Also, the storytelling is incredibly poor and hard to follow. However, David Bowie’s “Cat People” theme song is quite impressive (and worthy of a better film). Tawdry and exploitative, _Cat People_ has none of the tension and suspense of the original.