Review of The Leopard Man (1943) by Hunter D — 31 Jul 2008

Jacques Tourneur and Val Lewton made a team that thrived in the shadows. I feel like their films would have satisfied H.P. Lovecraft in the cinema (Lovecraft walked out of a screening of 'Frankenstein'), as Tourneur and Lewton's collaborative works stressed a fear of the dark and of the unknown.

'The Leopard Man' is a prime example of Tourneur manipulating the shadows and the camera to create an atmosphere so thick it smothers the viewer in the dread that seeths off of the screen. I thought the conclusion to the film was a bit weak, but it's only a minor wart on an otherwise fantastic horror movie that is completely spellbinding.