10 Fearsome Facts About Stephen King’s ‘Cat’s Eye’ for Its 40th Anniversary
Stephen King has been happily producing the stuff of our nightmares for five decades, but let’s be honest; some of his books and films are scarier than other. In his often-overlooked 1985 treasure Cat’s Eye, King went for a triple threat: an anthology of three spooky stories, all threaded together with appearances by the same watchful cat. Good luck forgetting any of them.
In the first segment, “Quitters, Inc.,” James Woods plays Dick Morrison, a man so desperate to quit smoking that he enlists the help of a group that tells Dick that if he smokes, they will torture his daughter and wife. No wonder they boast a 100% success rate! The second story, “The Ledge,” follows crime boss Cressner (Kenneth McMillan), who forces suspected adulterer Johnny Norris (Airplane!‘s Robert Hays) to walk along the ledge of his penthouse, where he is attacked by a pigeon (a particular fear for all those ornithophobes out there), and falls to his death as the title cat watches. The final and perhaps scariest story is “General,” starring 10-year-old Drew Barrymore as Amanda, a little girl being tormented by a demonic troll who lives in her walls and wants to steal her breath. The cat — a mere observer in the previous segments — finally steps in to help Amanda and is rewarded with a new home and a big fish to eat.
As Cat’s Eye celebrates its 40th anniversary on April 12, let’s celebrate with some fun facts about this gem.
1 Stephen King wrote the film with Drew Barrymore in mind
Everett Collection
Drew Barrymore so impressed King and producer Dino de Laurentis with her performance in 1984’s Firestarter that King wrote the screenplay — his first-ever screenplay, actually — around the young actress.
2 Drew Barrymore plays three roles in the movie
Barrymore didn’t simply play the little girl in the final segment; much like the cat who ties the anthology together, she had three roles in the movie. The 10-year-old star played Dick Morrison’s daughter Alicia in “Quitters, Inc.” (while wearing a wig and glasses), a little girl on television in “The Ledge,” and, of course, Amanda in “General.”
3 There are Stephen King Easter eggs throughout the film
MGM/courtesy Everett Collection
Cat’s Eye director Lewis Teague dropped several fun little Easter eggs for fans of King throughout the movie. At one point, James Woods is watching the 1983 movie The Dead Zone, which was based on a Stephen King novel, and says “Who writes this crap?” In “The Ledge,” there’s a copy of Penthouse sitting on the coffee table — the same exact issue where King’s story “The Ledge” was initially published. In the film’s opening scene, the cat is nearly hit by a red Plymouth Fury with a bumper sticker claiming, “Watch out for me. I am pure evil. I am Christine,” a reference to Christine (1983); that same scene also features a cameo by a certain St. Bernard (more on that later). In the final segment, Amanda’s mother, Sally Ann, is reading Stephen King’s 1983 novel Pet Sematary in bed.
4 Roger Ebert called Cat’s Eye Stephen King’s “most effective” movie
Famed movie critic Roger Ebert was a fan of Cat’s Eye, which is something of a surprise as he tended to be quite dismissive of the horror genre in general. “The special effects are effective and understated, allowing the foreground to be occupied by some of our basic human fears, of pain for loved ones, of falling from a great height, of suffocation,” Ebert said at the time. “Stephen King seems to be working his way through the reference books of human phobias, and Cat’s Eye is one of his most effective films.”
5 A deleted prologue explained the cat’s journey
Director Lewis Teague was disappointed when a prologue explaining the cat’s journey linking the three stories was eventually deleted. The studio made the decision to get rid of the scene despite Teague’s protestations, deeming it “too silly,” according to IMDB. This, unfortunately, left some viewers understandably confused since there was no explanation as to why the cat was present in each segment.
6 Cujo shows up in the opening
Teague was no stranger to working with King — he directed the 1983 adaptation of Cujo, about a rabid St. Bernard dog terrorizing a woman and her son. Cujo shows up in Cat’s Eye when he is seen chasing the cat along the sidewalk (if you watch closely, the car from Christine also makes a cameo in this scene).
7 “General” was a new story written specifically for the film
While both “The Ledge” and “Quitters, Inc.” were based on previously published work by King, he wrote “General” specifically for the movie as an original story.
8 It was the first Stephen King film with a PG-13 rating
Everett Collection
Cat’s Eye was the first Stephen King movie to receive a PG-13 rating. Prior to this film, all of the movies adapting King’s works were rated R. Perhaps the addition of a cat made this trilogy feel more family friendly?
9 “Every Breath You Take” is featured prominently throughout
In a nod to the final story, where the monster living in Amanda’s walls is trying to literally take her breath, the Police’s hit song “Every Breath You Take” is featured frequently throughout the film. The version used was actually created specifically for the film by Sting, as buying the rights to the original would have been too expensive for the film’s budget.
10 James Woods and Drew Barrymore played father and daughter again
Everett Collection
Apparently, playing a father/daughter duo felt right for James Woods and Drew Barrymore. The pair went on to play a father and daughter again in the 2001 film Riding in Cars with Boys — though they weren’t menaced by former crime family members trying to force anyone to quit smoking this time around, which must have felt like a real treat.
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