Strays

Director - John McPherson (The Incredible Hulk, Swamp Thing)
Starring - Kathleen Quinlan (The Hills Have Eyes, The Doors), Timothy Busfield (Revenge of the Nerds, Matlock), and Claudia Christian (Grimm, Babylon 5)
Release Date - 1991
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "They say cats have nine live.  Will one of them be yours?"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

    Scream Factory releases a lot of content within a year.  They focus primarily on films that genre fans know and love because they are a business after all.  They know these films will return a profit.  However, they do release a little more obscure films here and there.  Several months back I saw a post on social media about the 1991 made for t.v. horror film Strays.  This is one you don't see mentioned in horror groups so I was intrigued by it.  I reached out to Scream and they were kind enough to send a copy my way.  Thanks guys!
    The film follows a family who purchase a home out in the country.  The previous owner passed away and the house has sit empty since.  Home ownership turns deadly when a pack of feral cats move into the attack following a storm.  They begin by marking their territory followed by attacking the family dog.  Soon they set their sights on the family and a fight for survival soon follows.    
     When I first received the press release for the film I thought this was a movie that had snuck passed me.  One that I had no idea existed or had never seen before.  However, after watching it I can't help but feel like this is one I had watched when I was little but I can't recall when I would have watched it.  Regardless, I really enjoyed the film and found myself wanting to check it out again after I finished it.  The acting in this one is solid.  The cast deliver some of the most 90s characters to ever hit the boob tube and I can't help but love it.  Poindexter, I mean Timothy Busfield, was great as the father figure.  He has that lawyer look down and really delivered a solid performance.  It is strange seeing him in this look and not his Revenge of the Nerds clothes.  Kathleen Quinlan is great as well.  She pulls you in with her performance and delivers a wide range of emotions that feel genuine and authentic.  The supporting cast is solid as well.  No one is winning awards here but they all deliver great performances.  The story for this one is simple and one we have seen before.  We get a simple story following a family in a lone house trying to survive something horrific.   Some might even compare it to films like Night of the Lepus, Night of the Living Dead, and any other horror film that follows a family tapped in the house by an evil menace.  The evil here is replaced by cats which sounds stupid as fuck to say out loud but anyone that has owned a cat knows they can be real assholes.  We get a sense of dread from the film and we know that cats can fuck you up but deep down we know that the father figure can stop them and kill them so they grounds us to the story somewhat.  Finally, if you want some blood and guts you wont find it here.  We do get a little blood and some minor make up effects but nothing memorable or stands out for the time.  Overall, Strays looks great on this blu and the film definitely entertains.  I highly suggest fans of 90s horror pick this one up from Scream Factory and add it to your collection!