The Cat and the Canary

Details

A remote English country mansion in 1934. At the request of the long-deceased Cyrus West (Wilfrid Hyde-White), his surviving relatives are gathered together on a suitably stormy night for the "reading" of his will, exactly 20 years to the day of his death. Joining them are Cyrus's loyal housekeeper, Mrs. Pleasant (Beatrix Lehmann), and Allison Crosby (Wendy Hiller), the executor of the will.

During the evening's dinner, the name of the sole heir to the fortune is announced by Cyrus himself, by way of a home movie he had prepared prior to his death. But there is a catch. In order for the heir to collect the inheritance, the guests must all spend the night in the house. If, in the following twelve hours, the named heir is declared insane or passes away, another home movie will be screened revealing the identity of a second heir to Cyrus's fortune. As the guests are settling down for the night, a psychiatrist shows up at the house to inform them that a psychotic killer has escaped from the local asylum and is believed to be on the loose in the area.

Wittily adapted by Metzger from Willard's play, The Cat And The Canary gives the classic whodunit a fresh spin, adding an amusing sexual frisson to the proceedings as the characters endeavour to hide their greed while keeping one eye on the prize. And, as the inevitable body count begins to rise, there are enough twists and turns introduced into the plot to keep the audience from guessing the final outcome.

The Cat And The Canary will be released on DVD by Anchor Bay UK on 28th June 2004.