Leopard Man, The (1943)
Starring: Dennis O'Keefe, Margo, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Synopsis: the death toll mounts in this eerie tale, masterfully shot and directed
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

Small time cabaret artiste has a boyfriend who thinks her act needs a little spicing up. He arrives one day with a fabulous black leopard which he reckons should do the trick and indeed when she appears with the animal straining at the leash, she has a captive audience - at least for a moment or two. However the jealous castanets girl startles the cat with her clicking and the beast manages to run away causing many a furrowed brow in the neighbourhood.

An innocent girl is mangled by an unseen creature in a scene that clearly demonstrates the director's considerable talent. As in some of the best horror, what you don't see is what is most frightening

. Tourneur makes wonderful use of shadows, textures and light creating an ominous lurking presence in every corner, looming in every tree. Yet, is it the leopard that is responsible for the series of deaths that have afflicted the community or could there be a killer making good use of the situation? The film is very short, clocking in at just over an hour, but is exquisitely shot and contains a scene or two of genuine tension. This was one of three films on which Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur collaborated and it is inspired by the novel, Black Alibi. The film shows how a tight budget need not be a restraint in producing a film of striking visual beauty.