The Leopard Man

In New Mexico a black leopard used in a nightclub act escapes, and soon young women start turning up dead. Everyone blames the animal, though some of the killings do not look like anything an animal would do. Jacques Tourneur made it for Val Lewton's low-budget horror unit and the unit's rule applies here too: never show the creature, let shadow and sound do the work. Its most famous scene is the blood seeping under a door, with the fear built entirely out of waiting. The source is Cornell Woolrich's novel. It is short, the spaces are tight, and stringing three separate deaths together makes attachment to any character difficult. Who it is for: viewers who like atmospheric forties horror and the Lewton productions. Who it is not for: anyone wanting explicit violence and a clean solution.