The Cat and the Canary & The Ghost Breakers

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Review added by
Jitendar Canth

Ghosts and gags galore in this charming double-bill of horror-comedies starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.
Certificate: PG
Running Time: 159 mins
Retail Price: £24.99
Release Date: 2022
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
The Cat and the Canary (dir. Elliott Nugent, 1939) – A decade after the death of an eccentric millionaire, his remaining relatives gather for the reading of the will at his abandoned mansion set deep in the Louisiana bayous. His niece Joyce (Paulette Goddard) is named the sole inheritor, but under the condition that she does not go insane within the next 30 days. The timid Wally (Bob Hope) vows to protect Joyce who must spend the night in the haunted mansion along with her jealous relatives, a creepy maid and a homicidal maniac who has just escaped from a nearby sanitarium.

The Ghost Breakers (dir. George Marshall, 1940) – Larry Lawrence (Hope), sought in connection with a murder he did not commit, eludes New York police by hiding in a steamer trunk. Soon the trunk (and Larry) are aboard a ship bound for Cuba, where the trunk’s owner, pretty Mary Carter (Goddard), is sailing to take possession of a recent inheritance: a “haunted” castle. Sensing that Mary is in danger, Larry and his valet precede her to the island, which is inhabited by a ghost, a zombie and perhaps even a flesh-and-blood fiend. There’s romance, comedy and chills as Hope and Goddard contend with earthly and un-earthly foes―and try to keep from ending up as ghosts themselves.

Eureka Classics is proud to present both films in their UK debuts on Blu-ray.

Special Features:
Brand new audio commentary tracks on both films with Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
Kim Newman on “The Cat and the Canary” and “The Ghost Breakers”
“The Ghost Breakers” 1949 radio adaptation
Trailers
Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
PLUS: A limited edition collector’s booklet (2000 copies) featuring new writing by Craig Ian Mann