Review of The Cat and the Canary

In 1934, blonde fashion designer Carol Lynley (as Annabelle West) and an assortment of greedy relatives gather at "Glencliff Manor" to hear the taped reading of wealthy Wilfrid Hyde-White's last will and testament. Relatively soon, we learn Ms. Lynley is to inherit everything, but not without stipulation. First, she must remain alive and sane after one night in the deceased's spooky old mansion. As a storm rages outside, the suspicious cast is joined by psychologist Edward Fox (as Hendricks), who informs them a homicidal killer known as "The Cat" has escaped from the local insane asylum. That's a recipe for murder and mayhem…

This fairly tepid re-make of the 1927 "silent" classic was likely inspired by the success of films like "Murder by Death" (1976). Lynley and Michael Callan (as Paul Jones) could be described as the leads. As a stand-in for Buddy Rodgers (make that Ben Lyon), Peter McEnery (as Charlie Wilder) figures prominently, and Daniel Massey (as Harry Blythe) doesn't. Lawyerly Wendy Hiller (as Allison Crosby) arches her eyebrow. Elderly housekeeper Beatrix Lehmann shows how unflatteringly the film's extreme close-ups can exaggerate a face. And, Honor Blackman and Olivia Hussey somehow manage to make a lesbian subplot unexciting.

***** The Cat and the Canary (11/78) Radley Metzger ~ Carol Lynley, Michael Callan, Peter McEnery, Edward Fox