Tim Cruz and Anthony Del Negro’s Don’t Let the Cat Out is catnip to horror fans who like their films fun, creative, and terrifically twisted.
Cats have been the purrfect horror film partner for decades, from Stephen King’s zombie cat Church in Pet Sematary (1989) to an ancient Serbian curse in Cat People (1942) or an evil gang of feral felines in Strays (1991); hell, some would even say Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical amounts to a horror! We all love a terrifying Tabby, and now, Tim Cruz and Anthony Del Negro have added to the creepy cat collection of movies with the purrfectly delightful, Don’t Let the Cat Out, which recently premiered at Panic Fest 2025.
It’s Halloween night, and student Charlie (Anthony Del Negro) has agreed to house-sit for one of his lecturers, Rodney (Jordan James Smith) and his wife, Evelyn (Cerina Vincent). Rodney lectures in ancient Egyptology and the Occult, and you would think this would immediately ring alarm bells for Charlie (hasn’t he seen The Devil Rides Out?). But hey, he is earning five hundred dollars to sit in their house for the night, so who cares!
However, as soon as Charlie arrives, something seems off. Evelyn seems more interested in his physique, eying him up and down like a ravenous vampire who hasn’t sipped a drop of the good stuff for weeks. At the same time, the house is a shrine to cats, with pictures of our furry friends everywhere, as cat-shaped clocks tick down to the witching hour. It’s the kind of house that screams “weird,” but Charlie settles in, all the same, reading textbooks and checking his phone. However, Charlie’s night is about to take a devilish turn as secrets and villainous intentions are revealed in a house that’s far more than just a shrine to our feline friends; it is a kitty playpen where ancient powers see eager felines possess the bodies of human vessels selected by a psychotic husband and wife. And Charlie is next on their list!
Don’t Let the Cat Out playfully claws at a range of themes found in Cat People (1942 and 1982) and Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers (1992), as well as toying with the kitty kink of characters like Catwoman and the disturbing clowder of cats in Tom Hooper’s doomed film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical. But while honouring the history of felines on film, it also successfully builds its own unique, highly entertaining, tongue-in-cheek and bloody world. It’s the type of Halloween night movie that is the equivalent of catnip to horror fans who like their films fun, creative, and terrifically twisted. But, like Cruz and Del Negro’s 2024 film Ladybug there’s more to this movie than perfectly crafted Halloween night entertainment.
Claw beneath the surface of Don’t Let the Cat Out, and themes of grief, mortality and loss surround our lead characters, from the recent death of Charlie’s father to Evelyn’s need to ensure her cats live on, no matter the human cost. Like their previous film, Ladybug, these themes require more attention and time to reach their full potential; however, this weakness doesn’t detract from the purrfectly crafted fun of Don’t Let the Cat Out. From the wicked performances of Anthony Del Negro, Edy Ganem and Brittany Cavaco to the malevolent moggies and their occultist owners, Don’t Let the Cat Out is littered with easter eggs, bloody demises and woollen ball gags, making it a wonderfully playful Halloween night treat.
Tim Cruz and Anthony Del Negro’s Don’t Let the Cat Out premiered at Panic Fest 2025 and will hold its international premiere at FrightFest 2025 on August 22.
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