The Cat and the Canary (1978)

A group of potential heirs gather in a forbidding old house to learn which of them will inherit a fortune. Later, they learn that a flesh-rending maniac is loose.

Director:

Radley Metzger

Writers:

Radley Metzger (screenplay), John Willard (play)

Stars:

Honor Blackman, Michael Callan, Edward Fox

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Honor Blackman	...	Susan Sillsby
Michael Callan	...	Paul Jones
Edward Fox	...	Hendricks
Wendy Hiller	...	Allison Crosby
Olivia Hussey	...	Cicily Young
Beatrix Lehmann	...	Mrs. Pleasant
Carol Lynley	...	Annabelle West
Daniel Massey	...	Dr. Harry Blythe
Peter McEnery	...	Charlie Wilder
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Cyrus West (as Wilfrid Hyde White)

Storyline

When an elderly man dies, some of his relatives gather to hear the reading of the will. When it is read by his attorney, the old man lets it be known how much he despised and loathed his worthless kin. As a result, his will is structured in such a way as to set up a dogfight between his potential heirs as to who will collect his fortune.

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Plot Keywords:

maniac | death | propped up corpse falls down | reference to tom sawyer | 1930s | 

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Taglines:

For God's sake, stay in your rooms and lock the doors!

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Genres:

Comedy | Mystery | Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1979 (UK)

Also Known As:

El gato y el canario

Filming Locations:

Pyrford Court, Ripley, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Grenadier Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For the reading of the will, Cyrus West (Wilfrid Hyde-White) speaks on a film which was recorded in 1914 twenty years before its 1934 screening. As sound film had not been developed fully during the mid-1910s, the sound on the film is not via the technology associated with a soundtrack on film which featured in movies from the intropduction of the "talkies" from the late 1920s, but via a recording on a cylinder connected to the projection equipment.

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Quotes

Cyrus West: Good evening, leeches. Take your places. As you know, I am Cyrus West. Now first of all, let me tell you, you're all a bunch of bastards. I know, I know the people you came from. They're all a bunch of bastards. Yes, your fathers, your mothers, your uncles, your aunts, your nephews, your nieces, your sons, your daughters, not to mention a cartload of cousins. All a bunch of bastards except, of course, Mew Mew, and perhaps one or two others.

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Connections

Version of The Cat and the Canary (1927)

User Reviews

Very suspenseful, fun thriller

I recently saw this on video, and let me say it is one of the best thrillers I have ever seen! Its got chills, some laughs, spooky atmosphere, and Pussy Galore! I mean, it has Honor Blackman, who played Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. She is wonderfully twisted in this.

The story is rather simple. The relatives of a dead millionaire are called to his mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death. Via 8 mm film, the dead man names his heir to the assembled group. The sole heir must spend the night in the house with the group and be deemed sane the next morning. To add to the jealousy of the losers and the creepy house, the local insane asylum curator drops by to say a homicidal maniac has escaped and is hiding out in the area. All these things add up to a great story and climax. I really liked the clever way the end credits are displayed too. I gave this 9 out of 10. Truly enjoyable.