Finished it.
In regard to being an unofficial remake of Cat People, while there are certainly some broad similarities between the two, in terms of the plot details the films are very different. I enjoyed Cat People more, which is a film that, despite its simplicity, kept me engaged and interested all the way through. Cat Girl, on the other hand, starts out well but loses steam after the first half hour and just gets kind of boring.
Also, by 1957 the filmmaking style of the time was starting to take on some of the features that would later become distinctives of the 1960s, and some of these are on display in Cat Girl. I however prefer the early 40s vibe and style.
I do think that Barbara Shelley did well. She certainly brought her A-game to a film that isn't on the same level as her talents. And in fact, I might even say that she is a better actress than Simone Simon. But there was something about Simone Simon in Cat People that I thought was perfect for the role and her performance and aura is certainly one of the main reasons that I've gone back to that film multiple times. She had a certain exotic quality to her that matched the character and she is definitely THE distinctive feature of the film.
Overall, I'd say Cat Girl is just okay. Your rating of 5/10 is probably fair, though I'd likely go just a little higher than that, largely due to the strength of Shelley's performance. Whereas I have watched Cat People multiple times and, as I mentioned earlier, even bought the Criterion Blu-Ray, I'm sure I'll never revisit this one again. Still, it was an interesting experience watching this film that was clearly heavily influenced by Val Lewton's earlier effort, and it was my first exposure to Barbara Shelley.
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