The Cat and the Canary (1927)
Genre: Horror / Mystery
Duration: 82 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Paul Leni
Stars: Laura La Plante, Creighton Hale and Forrest Stanley
IMDb score:
7,1 (3.789)
Releasedate: 9 September 1927
The Cat and the Canary plot
"THE MYSTERY THRILLER OF THE STAGE FILMED WITH NEW EFFECTS"
Twenty years after the death of millionaire Cyrus West, six of his family members are brought together by Cyrus' lawyer for the inheritance. Unfortunately, only Annabelle turns out to be the only legal heiress. However, a second will has been made, should Annabelle be declared "crazy" by a doctor the next day. When the maid tells that she has received a message from a ghost that one of the relatives will die that evening, the dolls really start dancing.
Actors and actresses
Annabelle West
Paul Jones
Charles Wilder
Roger Crosby
Cecily
Susan
Harry
Mammy Pleasant
The Guard
Ira Lazar
Reviews & comments
wibro
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- 11590 messages
- 4098 votes
I had never heard of this film until I came across it as a silent horror tip from alexspyforever. Visually it's quite a beautiful film, although I couldn't discover much in it as far as horror is concerned. I thought it was more of a mystery. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was fine and the characters were excellently depicted, with the housekeeper standing out far above the rest in her rather very unfriendly appearance. In any case, for me she symbolized the horror part with her scary face.
3.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Noodless
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- 10053 messages
- 6185 votes
A silent that I did not know, but the story does seem familiar and has been used several times in one way or another in other films with different effects. This film has its charms and is patiently constructed, but it has too many slapstick moments and I have not seen any real horror. On the other hand, the film does have a nice atmosphere. Despite the 82 minutes, the film could not hold my full attention. Nice to see once, but I won't be able to watch it a second time. 6/10
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 11421 messages
- 6719 votes
Classic haunted house mystery that I completely missed despite my preference for atmospheric whodunnit stories. Director Paul Leni creates a surprisingly intriguing, spooky world with powerfully shot images in the house, especially for that time. Unfortunately, The Cat and the Canary is not more atmospheric than the introduction, but that does not alter the fact that the film will remain quite interesting for a long time. I personally found the interaction with comedic aspects disturbing, especially due to the clumsy design of the characters. I especially thought Creighton Hale as Paul Jones was too corny and that really detracted from the atmosphere as well as the overall experience. In addition, the horror aspects are kept quite contained by Leni when we get to the second half, where the story goes on for a long time and the unsubtle hints about who is and who is not (I mean, you can already see it in the make-up) detract. do the mystery thing. That does not alter the fact that The Cat and the Canary, like its 1920s counterparts, still excels in terms of atmosphere and is therefore a lot more interesting compared to many other classic horror works.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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