If, like me, you've heard this movie for years touted as one of the most influential silent horrors of all time, you may be a tad disappointed. As Mike Weldon points out in the `Psychotronic Video Guide,' midnight will-readings and creaky old houses were already old hat by the late twenties, and this film probably got as many giggles as shudders even in its day. Nevertheless, there are some nice camera-effects and decent sets, and for fans of the genre, it remains a must. A particularly noteworthy image is the chiming of the long-dead clock, with its innards superimposed upon the characters collected for the reading of the will.
Plotwise, I was surprised firstly by the hero's (perhaps unwitting) resemblance to Harold Lloyd - accentuated by the presence of `Haunted Spooks' at the end of the tape. Noticeably lacking, however, is Lloyd's irreverence and comic timing this fellow just winds up being a comedy-relief dud, oddly reminiscent of the wanna-be adventurer from `Seven Footprints to Satan.' Even Lloyd's most clownish characters would not have missed the obvious romantic interest of the heroine, or failed to at least pretend to be macho in front of her (with the usual hilarious results). Our boy in `Canary,' however, seems to be entirely unaware of his opportunities.
Without needing to give anything away, I was also a bit disappointed by the final revelation of `whodunit.' In fairness, that means I didn't manage to predict the perpetrator but this was more because the film did not play fair and offer enough clues than because of its brilliant web of complexity. That certain characters are more than they would seem is obvious, and the primary `red herring' of the film is easily detected, but one needs a fuller appreciation of the motivations of our various suspects in order to make a reasoned guess. This is particularly important in a silent film, where so much has to be judged by facial expressions and visual cues.
It would not be fair to place blame upon Paul Leni for the unfortunate score on the videotape, which was obviously composed by someone from the "some guy with a Casio" school of music.
On the whole, however, `Cat and the Canary' has its place as a classic of the `spooky old house' genre, whether it invented the cliches or merely enhanced them, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to any viewer.
