curse of the horror movie producer

The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
4 Stars
Co-directed by Robert Wise
Produced by Val Lewton
Starring Simone Simon

No mistaking this for The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. This sequel to Cat People has elements of horror in it, but really it is about the fantasy life of children. It is unusually effective for a 40s "psychology" movie, less hysterical than Welles, more honest than Hitchcock. The heart of the movie is Ann Carter, an exceptional child actor. The cinematography is also top notch. AFAIK, this was the very first of the "The Curse of the..." horror movies, and it's been all downhill since.

Again, this might be 3 stars on a more objective scale, but it's so remarkably good for its time, that I recommend checking it out.