From emblems of the occult to internet sensations, our feline familiars occupy a rarefied space in contemporary culture. By examining how cats came to be associated with the dark arts and their subsequent persecution to their current role as influencers and meme generators, this lecture will look at the dual role cats have played in guiding us towards and steering us away from darkness.

Since the genre’s inception, cats and horror films have always flirted with each other with the little lions existing interchangeably as protectors, instigators, and doorways to the darkest regions of our imaginations. Once worshipped as Gods in Ancient Egypt they were executed alongside witches in Europe in the Middle Ages by the Church who demonized them which has led to a centuries long suspicion of their true nature.

This lecture will examine the liminal space between life and death that cats occupy and how that ability is intentionally or unintentionally used in films such as Bell, Book and Candle (1958), House (1977) and Pet Sematary (1989) among others. By looking at their different uses in a variety of films, we will aim to uncover why these beguiling creatures provoke senses of dread, protection, and adoration within us.

Class citations can be viewed here.