Up next: the annual Halloween marathon kicks in with five screenings over six days in three states

Tully Marshall receives a hand (or two, actually) in a scene from 'The Cat and the Canary' (1927).

Here a Nosferatu, there a Frankenstein...

With five upcoming spooky silent film shows in six days, it must be getting close to Halloween!

The schedule has me accompanying 'Nosferatu' on Wednesday, Oct. 14 in Natick, Mass.; the early talkie 'Frankenstein' (1931) in Somerville, Mass., and no less than three screenings of 'The Cat and the Canary (1927)—one in Vermont, one in Massachusetts, and one in Maine.

Good thing New England states are small!

It's an intense pace, but it'll only get more so as we approach Oct. 31. Halloween tends to be the busiest season for silent film screenings, and this year is no exception.

Consider:t his next upcoming stretch is followed by a string of 10 screenings in 11 days, from Wednesday, Oct. 21 through Saturday, Oct. 31. 

Let's see—it's three 'Nosferatu' screenings, two more of 'Cat and the Canary,' and a passle of one-offs ranging from 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1923) to several thrillers starring legendary illusionist Harry Houdini on the 100th anniversary of his untimely death, which happens to coincide with Halloween.

Well, it all starts next week with 'Cat and the Canary' (1927) in the little seaside town of Mattapoisett, Mass., where I'll score Paul Leni's comedy/thriller on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Showtime is 6 p.m. and you can't beat the admission price: free!

More details in the press release below. See you at the movies—unless you're the Invisible Man. 

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The Mattapoisett (Mass.) Public Library vigorously promotes 'The Cat and the Canary.' 

MONDAY, SEPT. 28, 2026 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Silent film thriller 'Cat and Canary' (1927) to screen in Mattapoisett with live music on Tuesday, Oct. 13

Just in time for Halloween: classic creepy tale set in haunted mansion to be shown at Mattapoisett Free Public Library

MATTAPOISETT, Mass.—'The Cat and the Canary' (1927), a haunted house thriller from Hollywood’s silent film era, will be screened with live music on Tuesday, Oct.13 at 6 p.m. at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, 7 Barstow St., Mattapoisett, Mass.

The screening, a family-friendly event to celebrate the upcoming Halloween season, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

The show gives local audiences the opportunity to experience early cinema as it was intended: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience. 

Those who plan to attend are asked to register in advance online via the library's website: mattapoisettlibrary.org

 

'The Cat and the Canary' stands as the original movie thriller—the first picture to feature the reading of a will in a haunted mansion complete with clutching hands, a masked killer, disappearing bodies, and secret passageways.

Silent film starlet Laura LaPlante (that's her on the left, with Martha Maddox) leads the cast as a young heiress who must spend the night in the creepy old mansion, which is filled with relatives who all have motives to frighten her out of her wits. Meanwhile, a dangerous escaped lunatic is loose on the grounds. Can she and the others make it through the night?

Created for Universal Pictures by German filmmaker Paul Leni and based on a hit stage play, 'The Cat and the Canary' proved popular enough to inspire several remakes, including one starring Bob Hope. It was also the forerunner of all the great Universal horror classics of the 1930s and '40s.

The Mattapoisett Free Public Library screening will use a fully restored print that shows the film as audiences would have originally experienced it. 'The Cat and the Canary' will be accompanied by live music by New Hampshire composer Jeff Rapsis, who specializes in silent film scoring.

Rapsis will improvise the score on the spot during the screening.

"Silent film is all about the audience experience, and this one is a perfect Halloween crowd-pleaser," Rapsis said. "It has something for everyone—spooky scenes, some good comedy, and it's all fine for the whole family."

Critics praise the original 'Cat and the Canary' for its wild visual design and cutting edge cinematography.

Laura LaPlante receives a hand in 'The Cat and the Canary'—oops, sorry, I forgot I already used that joke!

Film reviewer Michael Phillips singled out the film for using "a fluidly moving camera and elaborate, expressionist sets and lighting to achieve some of the most memorable shots in silent film, from the amazing tracking shots down the curtain-lined main hallway to the dramatic zooms and pans that accompany the film's shocks."

Leonard Maltin called the original 'Cat and the Canary' a "delightful silent classic, the forerunner of all "old dark house" mysteries."

'Cat and the Canary' will be shown with live music on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, 7 Barstow St., Mattapoisett, Mass.

The screening is free and open to the public. Attendees are asked to register online via the library's website: mattapoisettlibrary.org

For more information about the screening, call the library at (508) 758-4171.