The house used in The Cat and the Canary (1978) was also used in The Omen (1976) (Gregory Peck) as the ambassador's home.
"The Cat and the Canary (1978)" title is referenced in John Willard's source play where wealthy eccentric, Cyrus West, says of his family members, "I have watched my wealth as if they were cats, and I, a canary".
The picture is considered a curio in the canon of director Radley Metzger whose body of work comprises mainly soft-core erotic dramas. This film was Metzger's only non-adult movie.
The play on which this film is based opened in New York at the National Theatre on 7th February 1922 where it played for 148 performances until May 1922.