The Cat and the Canary (1978)

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

A will is read in a big, old, dark house. The beneficiary can only claim the inheritance if she survives the night. Otherwise, the fortune goes to a secondary beneficiary who will only be named should the first beneficiary die. Anyone could be that secondary beneficiary - and someone is willing to kill to find out who it is.The house is wonderful - lots of rooms and secret passages. I love a house with a sliding bookcase and that's exactly what you get here. The house creates a perfect setting for a murder mystery. Surprisingly, there is some pretty good atmosphere.Much of the movie is meant to be a comedy and that's where The Cat and the Canary falters. Had it been played straight, it might have been more enjoyable.The movie was directed by Radley Metzger. The fact that a porn director was able assemble a cast including Edward Fox, Olivia Hussey, Honor Blackman, and the wonderful Wendy Hiller is amazing. The fact that he was able to pull the whole thing off as well as he did is a miracle.

Some truly scary moments, but the sadism is gratuitous. The cast is fine, but the sentimental closing montage of cast credits is ludicrous given the violent film which has just preceded it. Basically, this is an unnecessary remake which should never have been made. Waste of a fine cast, including Wilfrid Hyde-White as the sadistic patriarch whose will is designed to trigger the bloodletting that ensues; Dame Wendy Hiller as the lawyer who meets a particularly gruesome fate; Honor Blackman and Olivia Hussey as a lesbian couple; and Carol Lynley as the film's ingenue.

A family gathers at Glencliff Manor, their deceased uncle's mansion in England, for the reading of his will - 20 years after his death! It's a typically dark, wet and thundery night in 1934......the perfect weather for a will reading......and a murder (or two). For it also happens to be the same night an escaped, murderous mental patient, with a penchant for all things feline, sneaks in (via a catflap - sorry, couldn't resist) to dry off, lick his fur clean......and sharpen his claws!The family remains unaware of the cat's presence inside the mansion until an anxious mental hospital doctor, searching every nook and cranny for the cat, smashes through a ground floor window brandishing a gun. He urges the family to lock themselves into their rooms and wait for morning.But the cat attacks. And he breaks a nail...er, a claw or two in the process.Headlined by Honor Blackman, GOLDFINGER's Pussy Galore, and Carol Lynley, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE's onboard singer extraordinaire - the latter having mastered an English accent for this role (Funny! When I was younger I thought Carol Lynley WAS English!) - CAT AND THE CANARY weaves thrills, murder, biting wit and choice dialogue into one satisfying hour and a half or so.Highly recommended.

This was supposed to be a comedy/mystery/thriller. However, there was no comedy, a little mystery, and few thrills. The story took place in a beautiful old manse, at night, during a violent storm, and a will was read. This was a pat formula film that offered absolutely nothing new. Not a total loss, but no real winner either.