Movie Review: The Cat and the Canary (1927)

The Cat and the Canary (1927) directed by Paul Leni

Cyrus West owned a great mansion on the Hudson River and had a substantial estate to bequeath on his relatives. Unfortunately, most of them swarmed on him like cats on a canary so he left his will to be opened twenty years after his death. Five cousins and an aunt come on a dark night when the family lawyer will finally read the will. The mansion has the standard-issue spooky housekeeper (Martha Mattox) who lets people in and seems to know more than she's letting on. If things weren't stressful enough, someone has tampered with the documents and a lunatic has escaped from a nearby asylum and may be on the grounds or even in the house. The mansion has a lot of cobwebs and creepy hands reaching out from secret panels and doors.

As an "old dark house" thriller (quite possibly the first film version--this is from the silent era), the movie works well. The cast has plenty of people to suspect, a fine heroine (Laura La Plante), and a bumbling comic relief guy (Creighton Hale). The balance of scares and laughs is just right and the actors give good performances. The filmmakers managed to put a lot of cat and canary references in throughout.

Recommended.