Cat's Eye (1985)

Director: Lewis Teague

Writer: Stephen King

Starring: Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King, Kenneth McMillan, Robert Hays, Candy Clark, James Naughton, James Rebhorn, Charles S. Dutton,Tony Munafo, Court Miller, Russell Horton, Patricia Benson, Mary D'Arcy

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Through the eye of the cat, a twisted tail of macabre suspense from the author of CARRIE, The SHINING and THE DEAD ZONE.

Plot: Three horror-thriller tales revolve around a mysterious stray cat which is attempting to find a little girl in trouble. In "Quitters, Inc.": the cat is picked up by a shady New York "doctor" who uses experimental techniques to get people to quit smoking. His latest client is a man named Morrison, who learns he'll suffer some terrible consequences if he tries to cheat. In "The Ledge": the cat is picked up by Cressner, a shady Atlantic City millionaire who forces tennis pro Norris (his wife's lover), to walk a narrow ledge around his high-rise penthouse apartment. In "The General": the cat arrives in Wilmington, North Carolina, where it is found by Amanda, the young girl it has been sent to protect. What she needs protection from is a tiny, evil troll who lives behind the skirting board in her bedroom.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

It's neat sometimes seeing something you haven't seen since the theater nearly thirty years ago.  I liked it then and I like it still.  My favorite story is still the first one, "Quitters, Inc."  It's a great way to start out the picture but it also ruins it for the other two tales.  The second, "The Ledge", is good but it's not as good as the first one. The same thing applies to the third and final tale, The General". That one has the creepy advantage of having a troll try to kill Amanda (Barrymore).  That was cool and the payoff with the cat was cool, too.  The film makers knew when to quit. It's about an hour and a half and that feels about right.  So while the stories are pretty good, the first one packs the punch leaving you wanting more during the next hour.  Oh, and I LOVE the King references in the opening sequence.  Great stuff.