The Cat and the Canary: MUST SEE Universal Horror

Today we're talking about a film that both horror aficionados and new fans should find intriguing. We are journeying back to the roaring 20s to discuss the eerie and iconic silent film, The Cat and the Canary. The Cat and the Canary started its life as a stage play, written in 1922 by John Willard. It's a dark comedy, and its blend of horror and humor caught the eye of Universal.

You will find that this specific blend of horror and humor becomes something of a theme at Universal over the next few years. It was part of Universal’s 1927 slate of films. They put 14.5 million dollars into their entire slate that year, though I don't know exactly how much went to The Cat and the Canary. This film is often cited as the first “Old Dark House” film and I don't know if that's completely true - I do think it's among the first - but I think it might be the oldest surviving “Old Dark House” film.

The Cat and the Canary movie poster (1927).

The Cat and the Canary revolves around the death of a millionaire who lives in a creepy old mansion, named Cyrus West, and the reading of his will for his family members 20 years later. Why the delay? Well, because as he neared death, his greedy relatives circled him like cats around a canary.

To inherit his fortune, the intended heir from the will must prove her sanity. If she fails, there is a second will that names a different heir. Now stuck in the mansion with those same greedy relatives, the intended heir feels like she too is surrounded by cats, and mysterious occurrences make her feel like she’s going crazy. Also, a man known as The Cat escaped from an asylum and he is somewhere on the mansion grounds.

The Cat and the Canary was directed by Paul Leni, who my Uncle Carl Laemmle invited to the United States. I’m pretty sure that Uncle Carl had seen Paul Leni's movie Waxworks, and he was impressed. Uncle Carl had a knack for finding early talent. He was one of the first to hire John Ford and William Wyler, even Walt Disney and Irving Thalberg. He had a knack for these things, and he was spot on with Paul Leni. Paul Leni turned the movie into something of a German Expressionist masterpiece. It is so fun to watch.

Laura La Plante was one of Universal’s biggest stars of that era, and this is perhaps the role that she was most remembered for the rest of her life.

It wasn’t uncommon for films based on plays at the time to be shot very much like a play. They would be very still, without a lot of camera movement. It could make movies feel slow or stiff. I think even the 1931 English Dracula falls into that camp. However, the Cat and the Canary is not like that at all. It is very dynamic, there is so much movement, and there’s a lot of playing with light and shadow and these interesting camera angles. There is this general playfulness to the movie that's so fun. Even the title card at the beginning with the hand wiping the cobwebs away. I loved that! I think that from beginning to end, through and through, there’s so much art to The Cat and the Canary.

The Cat and the Canary is a prime example of early genre-bending or genre blending. It’s easiest to say that it’s horror - there’s suspense, murder, creepy hands, menacing shadows, a lunatic on the loose, an old dark house, it’s your classic recipe. The Cat and the Canary is not only a horror film. There’s some traditional romance in it, and of course comedy. It has blatant sarcasm and all these little gags that get a pretty good laugh out of me. It's really easy to see the influence that this movie had on other films. I think you could draw a direct line from this movie to The Old Dark House all the way up to Clue and even Knives Out.

I’m sure I spoke about The Old Dark House as one of the pioneers of old dark house films in my video about The Old Dark House, but The Cat and the Canary was a full five years before that. There’s no doubt that James Whale took some inspiration from this movie. For all of the credit that we do give to The Old Dark House (and that we should give to The Old Dark House), I want to make sure The Cat and the Canary is in the conversation as well. This trope has become such an important part of horror and mystery in the century since.

Paul Leni should have a much bigger name, but unfortunately he passed away just two years after The Cat and the Canary came out.

The Cat and the Canary stars Laura La Plante and Creighton Hale, and features Forrest Stanley, Tully Marshall, Gertrude Astor, Flora Finch, and Martha Mattox. Casting was initially top secret, and it sounds like it was something of a big deal. Each actor went through the casting process, and went back to Universal for what they thought was one final callback. When they got there, instead of another audition, they were surprised by Uncle Carl standing there with their contract.

Laura La Plante was one of Universal’s biggest stars of that era, and this is perhaps the role that she was most remembered for the rest of her life. Creighton Hale received positive reviews too for playing a refreshingly different type of hero. The whole cast is great, and there’s really not a dull moment in the movie. It is action packed. For a silent film, I did feel like this one was a pretty chatty silent film. I can be guilty of multitasking my way through films sometimes, which I know isn't great, but I have a lot to do. After my 20th time rewinding in the first 10 minutes, I realized that was not going to be possible with The Cat and the Canary. You have to give it your full attention, but also no regrets.

When The Cat and the Canary was released, it was a box office success, with critics giving a lot of the praise to Paul Leni. Like I said, this movie really laid the groundwork for a century of Old Dark House films that have come since. The Cat and the Canary had some remakes including one in 1939 starring Bob Hope, and one in 1978.

Laura La Plante and The Cat.

Paul Leni could have and should have a much bigger name, I think that his career could have been huge but unfortunately, he passed away just two years after The Cat and the Canary came out. His last final two films were The Man Who Laughs and The Last Warning. There's no knowing what he would have accomplished but judging by the films that we know I truly feel that we missed out on a lot by losing him so soon.

There are 100 reasons why everybody should watch The Cat and the Canary, whether you are a film buff or whether you are new to horror and new to classic film. It's this master class in atmosphere and suspense, it has so many twists and turns in it that are so fun. The humor, the laughs, the genre-bending is really cool to see, especially in such an old film and The Cat and the Canary is such a great look at early horror cinema and seeing how it shaped horror and movies as we know them today. This movie should really be on everybody’s list. I'm highly recommending it.

If you ever see a screening of The Cat and the Canary out in the wild, please let me know. I would love to attend!