News
Horror in Black and White: ‘The Cat and the Canary’ (1927)
Welcome back to another entry in “Horror in Black and White,” a weekly series celebrating the monochromatic horror that shaped the genre and still gives us chills to this day. Up this week: The Cat and the Canary (1927), our first featured silent film!
Directed by Paul Leni, based on the play by John Willard, The Cat and the Canary helped establish one of the earliest tropes in the genre as its main players gather at the home of their deceased relative to hear the reading of his will twenty years after his passing.
The opening sequence is absolutely gorgeous as a gloved hand wipes away cobwebs and dust to reveal the film’s title before the opening titles explain that the deceased, Cyrus West, spent the latter part of his life like a bird in a cage surrounded by hungry cats.
Leni’s film, which is actually more sepia-toned than black and white, uses all of the tricks in the expressionist handbook as the film gets underway superimposing images over one another to create a creeping feeling of dread in the viewer.
That dread is intensified as West’s former maid, who seems to have lived in her former employer’s house for two decades on her own after the man’s passing wanders the halls, waiting for his lawyer and family to arrive.
They do, in turn, and each seems more menacing than the last save for the comically clumsy Paul Jones (Creighton Hale) and the beautiful and innocent Annabelle West (Laura La Plante).
Annabelle, of course, is named the estate’s sole beneficiary, but there are requirements, not the least of which is remaining in the house and submitting to an exam by a physician to determine if she is sane.
Before long, a murder has been committed, priceless jewels have been stolen and everyone is a suspect!
Walking the tightrope of dark comedy and horror, Leni and his cast each give memorable performances as their archetypal characters.
As previously mentioned, La Plante is rather radiant as Annabelle, though she, as was and is so often the case, is given little to do other than react to the horrors going on around her, and Hale is hilarious and charming as Paul.
Meanwhile, Martha Mattox and Tully Marshall almost seem in competition for the creepiest people in the house as the maid, Mammy Pleasant, and West’s lawyer, Crosby.
Gertrude Astor, the first woman to sign a contract with Universal Studios, is glamour personified with her perfect curls and makeup as cousin Cecily opposite Flora Finch’s frumpy and matronly, though admittedly high-strung, Aunt Susan.
What’s so amazing about The Cat and the Canary, however, is just how influential it has been on the genre. Certainly James Whale (Frankenstein) and Tod Browning (Dracula) were inspired by the film’s imagery, but they were hardly the last.
In fact, one could almost argue that its DNA can be found in almost every film about haunted houses and treacherous family that followed including The Old Dark House and not-so-surprisingly, Scooby-Doo.
Don’t let the fact that the film is silent deter you either. The version currently available for streaming has a pitch perfect score and William Anthony’s titles do an excellent job of filling in the few points the actors are unable to convey.
When it opened in September of 1927, The Cat and the Canary was declared a box office success and lauded by critics.
In fact, the film, and the play upon which it is based, was so well-loved that it was adapted five more times in the decades that followed including the 1939 version, which brought the text’s comedy to foreground, starring Bob Hope.
The Cat and the Canary is available for rent on Amazon and FlixFling starting at $2.99, and it’s perfect for a cold winter evening with the lights down low.
Check out the a clip from the film below and for more Horror in Black and White, check out last week’s entry with The Bad Seed!
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News
Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role
Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.
Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.
“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”
Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.
While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?
The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.
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Editorial
7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch
The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.
The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.
We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.
Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?
Scream Live (2023)
Ghostface (2021)
Ghost Face (2023)
Don’t Scream (2022)
Scream: A Fan Film (2023)
The Scream (2023)
A Scream Fan Film (2023)
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Movies
Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month
Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.
Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.
According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.
Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.
Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.
Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.
While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.
According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”
The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.
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