By David Dent
It’s Halloween, but instead of larking about with his ghosthunting friend Travis (Sterling Sulieman), Charlie (Anthony Del Negro, who co-wrote this with director Tim Cruz) has taken the opportunity to land a cool $500 house sitting for one of his college tutors Rodney (Jordan James Smith) and his wife Evelyn (Cerina Vincent). Allergy prone Charlie didn’t reckon on their house being a virtual (and literal) shrine to cats, and when he discovers a written list of dos and don’ts relating to one of the moggies, Hazel, he realises there’s some serious feline worship going on.
But Charlie’s evening is about to go seriously wrong, when he realises that the payment for the housesit comes at a price; his own life and soul.
Cruz’s latest (his previous movie, Ladybug, played at the 2024 FrightFest) may be a fun romp but sadly it doesn’t really deliver on its setup. The promised satanic elements don’t really materialise, and those expecting some full on metamorphosis body horror will come away disappointed. Instead Rodney and Evelyn are the ultimate cat people (that’s also their Wi-Fi password) and their desire that their current puss should live on is the jumping off point for some terror-at-home murderous hi-jinks.
Del Negro and Cruz’s script depends on the setup rather than lines for laughs, and as such is amusing but little more. Honestly, we’ve seen people being hunted in a creepy old house more than a few times before, and while this is sprightly and well edited, it’s also desperately unoriginal.
Don’t Let The Cat Out screened as part of Frightfest 2025.
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