Actors: Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Colleen Kamp, Lee Ving
Director: John Landis
Formats: VHS, DVD
Price: £2.49
Ok, so it's not ghosts, goblins, demons, paranormal, haunted houses etc. I thought that I would branch out today with a quick murder mystery/comedy, although it is directed by Horror guru John Landis. If it makes you feel any better there is a big old creepy house and murder!!!
Mini Review
Ah Cluedo, err I mean Clue. You see in the UK the game is known as Cluedo rather than Clue, see footnote for reasons why*. Our game, our rules since a Brit invented it. The movie however is American and most definitely called Clue. As you would expect it's an adaptation of the classic board game. There's Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, Mrs White, Miss Scarlet, Mr Green, Mrs Peacock and of course Mr Body/Dr Black. In addition there's also Wadsworth the butler and Yvette the French maid. The guests all arrive one by one and get to know each other over a soup slurping, monkey brain scooping dinner. It sets the tone of the movie well. They are then joined by Mr Black who after dinner is revealed to have been blackmailing each guest for a different reason. Sure enough a light switch flips, the lights go out and we are left with one dead Mr Body as a result.
Wordsworth explains that he has already called the police with the intention of charging Mr Body with blackmail. However, since he is now dead there is a race on to discover how he died, where, with what and by who? Along the way the guests are interrupted by unexpected guests which lead to more murders. It's a delightful movie with plenty of running around and hysteria. The guests split up at times, use secret passages and generally all have reason to suspect each other. Only at the very end is the full solution revealed.
*Shortly thereafter, Pratt and his wife presented the game to Waddingtons' executive, Norman Watson, who immediately purchased the game and provided its trademark name of "Cluedo" (a play on "clue" and "Ludo", which is Latin for I play). Though the patent was granted in 1947, due to post-war shortages, the game was not officially launched until 1949, at which time the game was simultaneously licensed to Parker Brothers in the United States for publication, where it was re-named "Clue" along with other minor changes.
Verdict
Clue is a movie that really will keep you guessing until the end, even then you could be wrong. This is one of those movies I saw as a kid and have always loved. There's lots of slapstick running around, great word play and above all there's a relentless silliness to the proceedings which makes it so watchable. Along with Stephen King's "IT" this must be the one of Tim Curry's best moments. I'm guessing the director told Tim to just have fun and do things his way. The comedy timing is superb, every character seems perfectly crafted and all have great one-liners.
What really impresses me is that the writing allows for a real murder mystery story to run through the movie. There's red herrings, subtle clues and lots of far fetched motives for the murders. Take away the comedy and farce of the movie and the plot could have stood as a serious mystery movie in it's own right.
Pros: Just utterly silly and enjoyable. Tim Curry at his best.
Cons: There's a few continuity errors but it really doesn't take anything away from the viewing.
The Haunted Cinema Rating: 9 bodies stacked in the lounge out of 10. This is the pinnacle of the murder mystery comedies.
Should our review not be enough for you try these links.
IMDB: Clue
Wikipedia: Clue
Clue (1985): Trailer
Happy hauntings, Jiblet.
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