THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927)
Back to the silent era. THE CAT AND THE CANARY is the granddaddy of haunted house movies. Old Cyrus West decreed that his will would not be read until 20 years after his death. His heirs assemble on a dark and stormy midnight to hear who will inherit his fortune. Meanwhile, an escaped lunatic has been followed to the grounds! Has he infiltrated the house? It turns out the young ingénue will inherit West's millions--but only if she can remain sane until morning! BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!
German expressionist director Paul Leni keeps things lively and entertaining. This was before the grammar of filmmaking was quite codified and his choices are quite creative. I love the clothes, the housekeeper Mammy Pleasant, and the whole nine yards. There are scenes of sinister hands reaching out of hidden wall panels which are pure Scooby Doo. The score knocked me out, full of harpsichord, brass, percussion, and a theramin for good measure! Wikipedia says that later remakes of this story were the basis for the original Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland.
Universal Classic Horror Blog Series Rating:
4 - For everyone
3 - For horror fans only
2 - For classic horror fans only
1 - For Pete's sake
0 - Paging MST3K
German expressionist director Paul Leni keeps things lively and entertaining. This was before the grammar of filmmaking was quite codified and his choices are quite creative. I love the clothes, the housekeeper Mammy Pleasant, and the whole nine yards. There are scenes of sinister hands reaching out of hidden wall panels which are pure Scooby Doo. The score knocked me out, full of harpsichord, brass, percussion, and a theramin for good measure! Wikipedia says that later remakes of this story were the basis for the original Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland.
Universal Classic Horror Blog Series Rating:
4 - For everyone
3 - For horror fans only
2 - For classic horror fans only
1 - For Pete's sake
0 - Paging MST3K