THE PHOTOPLAY RESTORATION Produced by Patrick Stanbury and Kevin Brownlow

A decaying mansion and a stormy night are the archetypal setting for mystery and chaos when a pack of greedy relatives gather for the reading of a twenty-year-old will. But before the West fortune can be handed down, the family must endure a night in the cavernous manor, unnerved by the news that an escaped lunatic is at large.

So clever and stylish that it would appear to be the wellspring of all "old dark house" mysteries, The Cat And The Canary was in 1927 already a theatrical chestnut among similar popular melodramas. Even so, CATC is a milestone of the American horror film, thanks to the ingenuity of its director, Paul Leni. One of the first film artists imported from Germany by Hollywood, Leni invigorated this stage-bound genre with expressionist flair, transforming conventional material into a visual feast.

In this silent horror classic, young Anabelle West is set to inherit a fortune from her eccentric relative -- if she can prove that she is sane! In the event that she cannot inherit the money, another relative, whose identity is kept secret, will step in to take her place. Needless to say, shortly after the reading of the will, chaos breaks loose when the family attorney disappears and Anabelle finds herself the target of a murderous killer with the claws of a cat!