An old, dark house. A lunatic on the loose. A fortune people will do anything to get their hands on. These are the ingredients comprising one of Universal's earliest screen shockers, 1927's silent feature The Cat and the Canary. You may be surprised at how the story doesn't quite fit in with the studio's go-for-broke monsterfests, but it's the sort of flick that works wonders with little material. Starring Laura La Plante as the plucky heroine and Creighton Hale as the unlikely hero, The Cat and the Canary is a tale of greed and ghosts sure to satisfy any viewer looking for a creepy good time.

After years of being pestered by his avaricious relatives, sickly millionaire Cyrus West has at last kicked the bucket. But it's he who's had the last laugh, for his will decrees that it only be opened twenty years after his death. But the decades have passed by, and the time has come for West's heirs to gather for the reading. As it turns out, old Cyrus has one more trick up his sleeve, having left the entirety of his wealth to the most distant relative carrying his name. The cash is awarded to young Annabelle (La Plante), a sweet girl who's probably the most deserving of all the heirs. But this decision doesn't cut any ice with those hoping for a bigger piece of the action (or any piece at all). However, someone in particular is out to claim the loot for themselves, and he or she is prepared to drive poor Annabelle insane in order to get it.

The stage play The Cat and the Canary was based upon had a pretty good run in its time, and since 1927, even more big-screen versions were cranked out. But it's this adaptation in particular to which classic horror fans owe a debt of gratitude. Though it wasn't Universal's first genre film (The Phantom of the Opera and The Hunchback of Notre Dame were first), it did help establish various elements that horror now holds near and dear to its heart. First and foremost, The Cat and the Canary is all about atmosphere.

Starting off with a hand wiping off cobwebs covering the opening titles, director Paul Leni proceeds to play up the story's spookiness to the hilt. He casts dark shadows on nearly every corner of celluloid, seizing every opportunity to heighten the story's claustrophobic nature and depict Annabelle, as the title suggests, like a canary surrounded by cats.

Flora Finch, Gertrude Astor, Creighton Hale, Forrest Stanley, Laura La Plante, Arthur Edmund Carewe

Leni's constantly eerie exploitation might seem overdone to modern viewers, but that's just what the man intended. The Cat and the Canary is as much a comedy as it is a thriller, blurring the line separating the two and doing a rather adept job of it. There are no huge guffaws to be had, just as there aren't any shriek-out-loud moments; it's mostly a matter of never going heavy on the thrills, blending in a jovial spirit to ensure the story doesn't grow too dour. This goes without saying that the central mystery isn't terribly difficult to solve. With a pretty short list of suspects, it's not hard to deduce the source of Annabelle's seemingly supernatural troubles. But Leni and crew do a fine job of keeping viewers interested throughout, as do most of the actors.

Laura La Plante

La Plante does well as Annabelle, Hale is a hoot as a total wimp eventually forced to grow a backbone, and Martha Mattox does great work as the almost impossibly ominous housekeeper.

The Cat and the Canary may not seem like much when compared to today's horror offerings, but there's still a lot to appreciate about it. From its experiments with cinematography, superimposition, and even the title cards, you can tell The Cat and the Canary was made with a touch of class afforded to very few of modern genre flicks.

Director: Paul Leni

Writer: Alfred A. Cohn - screenplay adaptation, Robert F. Hill - adaptation, John Willard -   play

Cast: Laura La Plante, Creighton Hale, Forrest Stanley, Tully Marshall, Gertrude Astor, Flora Finch, Martha Mattox, Arthur Edmund Carewe

Rating: No MPAA Rating (some spookiness)

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Run Time: 81 minutes

Studio: Universal Pictures

Format: Color-tinted, fullscreen

Photo credits: Universal Pictures

Flora Finch, Gertrude Astor, Creighton Hale, Forrest Stanley, Laura La Plante, Arthur Edmund Carewe