Review of The Cat and the Canary

THE CAT AND THE CANARY is the umpteenth remake of the old silent murder mystery classic and one of many 'old dark house' comedies made during the 1970s and 1980s. This one has a decent cast but rather staid direction from none other than Radley Metzger, a man best known for his work in the erotic genre. Once again a bunch of kooks are assembled in a creepy old mansion for a reading of the will; what follows is mildly amusing at at times just plain weird. It's also rather small scale and slow, with all of the good bits packed into the second half. Wilfrid Hyde-White is a delight as the deceased host while the ensemble cast includes Honor Blackman, Daniel Massey, Olivia Hussey and Carol Lynley. Best of all is Edward Fox with tongue very much in cheek; his entrance scene alone is a real highlight here.