Catalepsy is defined as a loss of motor and it is listed among the clinical features associated with catatonic syndrome and may occur in association with both psychiatric and neurological disorders. Isolated catalepsy represents a much rarer phenomenon, and has been occasionally reported due to focal brain injuries (e.g. strokes) involving either cortical or subcortical regions. Here, we describe the case of an 81-year-old man presenting with isolated unilateral catalepsy as the main manifestation of focal non-convulsive status epilepticus, ipsilateral to the cataleptic limbs. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ictal catalepsy, which highlights the need to consider epilepsy in the diagnostic algorithm for both hyper- and hypokinetic movement disorders.