Matthew Rapczyk

The Cat and the Canary is a 1927 American silent horror film directed by German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni. An adaptation of John Willard's 1922 black-comedy play of the same name, the film stars Laura La Plante, Forrest Stanley and Creighton Hale. The plot revolves around the death of a man, and the reading of his will 20 years later. A woman inherits her uncle's fortune, but when she and her family spend the night in his mansion they are stalked by a mysterious figure (scene pictured). They have also been told that a lunatic has escaped from an asylum and is hiding in the mansion. The film is part of the genre of comedy horror films inspired by 1920s Broadway plays. The Cat and the Canary blends expressionism with humor, a style for which Leni was notable. It was influential in the "old dark house" genre of films popular from the 1930s through the 1950s. The film was one of Universal's early horror productions, and is considered to be the "cornerstone of Universal's school of horror".