Reception and influence The Cat and the Canary (1927 film)

a theatrical poster emphasizing aspects of film, particularly cat , canary , mysterious, sinister hand.

the cat , canary debuted in new york city s colony theatre on september 9, 1927, , box office success . variety opined, distinguishes universal s film version of ... play paul leni s intelligent handling of weird theme, introducing of novel settings , ideas became identified .... film runs bit overlong .... otherwise s more average satisfying feature .... new york times review expounded, film ought exhibited before many other directors show them how story should told, in mr. leni not seem strain @ point. naturally man twisting ends of mustache in thought. nonetheless, film historian bernard f. dick points out, [e]xponents of caligarisme, expressionism in extreme ... naturally thought leni had vulgarized conventions [of expressionism] . dick, however, notes leni had lighten[ed] [expressionist themes] enter american cinema without baggage of movement had spiraled out of control.

modern critics address film s impact , influence. michael atkinson of village voice remarks, [leni s] adroitly atmospheric film virtually ideogram of narrative suspension , impact ; chris dashiell states [e]verything exaggerated, lacking in subtlety, stop caring happens, despite few mildly scary effects , although admits film had great effect on horror genre, , hitchcock cited influence. tony rayns has called film definitive haunted house movie .... leni wisely plays laughs, prowling, murnau-like camera work generates frisson or 2 along way. is, in fact, hugely entertaining .... john calhoun feels makes film both important , influential leni s uncanny ability bring out period s slapstick elements in story s hackneyed conventions: sliding panels , disappearing acts fast paced , expertly timed picture looks first-rate door-slamming farce .... @ same time, leni didn t short-circuit horrific aspects ....

although not first film set in supposed haunted house, cat , canary started pattern old dark house genre. term derived english director james whale s old dark house (1932), heavily influenced leni s film, , refers films in murders committed masked killers in old mansions. supernatural events in film explained @ film s conclusion work of criminal. other films in genre influenced cat , canary include last warning, house on haunted hill (1959), , monster films of abbott , costello , laurel , hardy.

a tinted version produced david shepard, film preservationist, released on both vhs , dvd in 1997 , 2005 image entertainment. 2005 special edition contains original score franklin stover. original black-and-white version airs infrequently on cable television network turner classic movies.

in 2001, american film institute nominated film afi s 100 years...100 thrills.