Having just returned from a trip to the
Orient, French author Charles Regnier dines with his friend, Henry
Borchard, at the Café du Bois in Paris. Though he has been
hailed as a national hero following the publication of his latest
book, Fraudulent Justice, Charles knows that the
controversial book has made him an enemy of the government.
During the meal, Charles begins to feel unwell, and leaves to take a
walk through the city streets. Outside, Charles is startled
and tormented by mysterious mental images of a cat and lightning
strikes.
That night, Devereaux, a librarian
carrying documents incriminating Charles in a conspiracy against the
government, is found clawed to death. Police begin an
investigation and immediately suspect Charles, whose book concerned
the famous trial of a "catman" murderer. Without Devereaux'
documents, there is no evidence to link Charles to the murder, and
the police decide to wait until they can prove conclusively that he
is the killer before arresting him. Troubled by his frequent
memory lapses, even Charles begins to wonder if he is the killer.
Although he is engaged to Marguerite
Duval, Charles enters into an affair with Marie Audet, the daughter
of his publisher. Marguerite soon discovers the affair, and
when she asks Henry to explain Charles' unusual behavior, Henry
tells her that Charles must be suffering from a tropical fever.
Late one night, Marguerite is approached by a man who screeches like
a cat and kills her.
The following day, while dining at a
café with Marie, Charles is given a beating by a group of diners,
who angrily accuse him of being the mysterious "catman" killer.
Convinced that he is the killer, Charles prepares to turn himself in
to the police and confess, but Marie, who believes that he is
innocent, persuades him to remain silent. Henry, Charles and
Marie then flee Paris by carriage and take refuge in a chateau,
where Henry tells Marie that irrefutable evidence has been found
linking Charles to both murders. Henry warns Marie that she is
in danger of being the catman's next victim, and gives her his gun
to protect herself.
Late that night, Marie sees a man who
resembles a cat at her window, and just as he is about to attack
her, the police arrive and shoot him. Upon close inspection of
the catman, the police discover that he is Henry. With his
dying breath, Henry confesses to the murders and tells the police
that his death will mark the end of his ninth and final incarnation
on earth as the catman.
Notes
According to an October 11, 1945 HR news item, Republic produced
this picture in conjunction with another horror film, Valley of
the Zombies, with the intent that they be "released,
exhibited and exploited together." The strategy marked Republic's
first attempt at a "double horror production."
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