Cat's Eye 1985

The film weaves three interconnected tales, all linked by a wandering cat on a mission to find a little girl, Drew Barrymore, and save her from supernatural threats. Throughout its travels, the cat plays a minor role in the first two stories but takes center stage in the final one.

“Quitters Inc.”

The first story takes place in New York City, where the cat is captured by an employee of a peculiar self-help firm named Quitters Inc., designed to help clients stop smoking. A man named Dick is taken to the office by a friend who mentions, “These guys’ll change your life.” Upon entering, he meets his intense counselor, Vinnie Donatti, who demands Dick’s cigarettes and violently crushes them on his desk. Although Dick finds the treatment harsh, Donatti offers him a horrifying method: he reveals a white room where the cat is kept, explaining how he inflicts mild electric shocks to create a link between pain and eating. Following this twisted scheme, it’s revealed that if Dick smokes even once, his wife will face severe consequences instead. Troubled by this revelation, Dick struggles to resist the urge to smoke but eventually succumbs. When he tries to confess to his wife after a shocking turn of events, he realizes that she truly understands the grim lengths he has gone to for their family’s sake. Months later, after successfully quitting, he learns that the true dangers extend their threat into issues of weight gain, leading to further manipulation by Donatti.

“The Ledge”

The second segment transports us to Atlantic City, where a wealthy businessman named Cressner observes the very same cat that escaped from Quitters Inc. He decides to keep it as a pet after it causes a minor commotion on the street. Meanwhile, a tennis instructor named Johnny Norris finds himself in a perilous situation, captured and brought to Cressner’s penthouse for having an affair with Cressner’s wife. Faced with a devilish choice, Norris can either submit to years of servitude or risk his life by walking along a narrow ledge 300 feet above ground for the chance to escape with Cressner’s wife. As he edges along the ledge, with Cressner’s twisted taunts echoing, the tension escalates. Ultimately, when Norris completes the challenge, the shocking twist reveals that Cressner had other dark intentions, resulting in an unforeseen turn of fate as the cat intervenes, dramatically altering the balance of power.

“The General”

In the final story, the cat ends up in a suburban town in Wilmington, North Carolina, where it’s adopted by a young girl named Amanda, who affectionately names it “General.” Her mother disapproves, citing superstitions about cats. One fateful night, while Amanda sleeps, a malevolent troll attempts to invade her dreams and drain her breath. Just as the troll makes its sinister move, the brave cat returns to battle it, leading to a thrilling and chaotic showdown. As the magical confrontation unfolds, Amanda’s parents, initially skeptical of her claims, soon come to understand the truth as they witness the remnants of the troll’s attack. In the end, Amanda’s clever defense allows General to stay as part of the family, forging a bond that defies the nightmarish events they faced together.