Two decades after Cyrus West passes, his surviving relatives are called together at his old mansion for the reading of his last will and testament. They soon find out that everything has been left to his niece Annabelle, although only if she can be judged as legally sane. So when the family reluctantly settle down for the night and word reaches them that a murdered known as The Cat has escaped the local asylum, tensions rise and imaginations run wild triggering a host of horrifying events that terrorise them all – leading to the jealous family members questioning the very sanity of the innocent Annabelle!

 

A classic slice of Hollywood cinema gets a stunning 4K restoration in this new Blu-ray release from Eureka Video as part of their Masters Of Cinema series. Coming up on its 100th birthday, Paul Leni's horror masterpiece, The Cat & The Canary, is still as entertaining and as beautifully impressive today as it was upon release. Released as part of their Masters Of Cinema series, the packed Blu-ray delivers a stunning restoration that highlights the incredible work of Leni – from his inspiration of German expressionism to his inventive cinematography, its surreal set pieces and camera trickery to its beautiful art direction. Setting the mark for Hollywood horror movies of the 1930s, The Cat & The Canary is the first film adaptation of the popular John Willard stage play from 1922 offering viewers a wonderful blend of horror and comedy that became a staple part of classic film-making.

 

Although it is slowly creeping up on its 100th birthday, The Cat & The Canary is still hailed by many today as the definitive haunted-house movie – and it most definitely holds up. Starring a wonderful cast of its time including Laura La Plante, Creighton Hale, Forrest Stanley, Tully Marshall, and Gertrude Astor, it has seen many remakes over the decades that followed, yet none have ever really bettered what Paul Leni and his team brought to the screen. For its first-ever Blu-ray release, Eureka offer fans a host of wonderful extra features including two very fun and very informative audio commentaries – the first from film critic Kim Newman and author Stephen Jones, and the second with Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby respectively. The featurette titled Mysteries Mean Dark Corners is an interesting 29 minute video essay from David Cairns and Fiona Watson on the film and those it inspired, with film critic Pamela Hutchinson delivering an insightful 13 minute piece on the classic and film critic Phuong Le delivering a similar piece that runs for just under 10 minutes. There's two short extracts from John Willard's play voiced over shots from the film based on which characters are speaking. These run for just over 5 minutes in length and, while they aren't the most suited voices to what's on screen, certainly make for a fun watch. The final piece is a newly voiced piece over an old add for Lucky Strike cigarettes that featured director Paul Leni in his promotion for the product and how it got him through filming. It's an interesting addition that completes an enjoyable array of extras alongside this classic piece of cinema.

 

All in all, The Cat & The Canary 4K restored Blu-ray release from Eureka is a must for any true cinephile and those keen to know where the haunted-house movie really began. Released on April 22nd, the first run of the Blu-ray is limited to 2000 copies and comes with a limited edition slipcase. (4/5) George @invincibleasia

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