Dark and Stormy Night

I don't know about you, but I've become bored with the big budget Hollyweird movies that promise everything and deliver nothing. DARK AND STORMY NIGHT was such a refreshing change. I caught the movie at a premiere and laughed throughout. The acting was first rate. The sets were very well done, and the story never failed to deliver. Every time you thought Larry Blamire had packed all that he could into the movie, he surprises you by adding more.

Bob Burns as Kogar was genius. Daniel Roebuck as the intrepid reporter hit the mark. Mark Refield as the diabolical attorney was fantastic.

If this movie doesn't give you loads of belly laughs then you must be dead. Hollywood could take a lesson or two from Larry Blamire.

There's some really good stuff in the Old Dark House parody Dark and Stormy Night. A fortune teller is wonderfully strange and funny, a cab driver beautifully captures the cadences of a '30s actor, director Blamire does a pitch perfect impression of a terrible actor, and the movie really captures the look of its inspiration.

Unfortunately, it's not nearly as funny as the two Skeleton of Cadavra films.

I think a lot of the problem is that the Old Dark House genre was generally comedic; the movie the genre was named after was a comedy. The movies feature wise cracking reporters and detectives, offbeat characters, inane plot twists, in-jokes (in one, a character asks Basil Rathbone his opinion on what's going on and he replies "who do you think I am, Sherlock Holmes?), and purposefully broad performances. The Cadavra movies parodied humorless incompetence, but how do you parody something that is already funny?

The result is a movie pretty close to the movies it's a take-off of, and I think the director might have been better off simply attempting to create a real ODH movie rather than a mock-up.

Since it's hard to parody comedy, the movie drifts, even further than Blamire's previous films, into absurdist theater, and the movie is best and funniest when it throws non-sequitors at the audience with like darts.

Dark and Stormy Night is funny, and Blamire's usual cast gives their usual fine performances (Blamire's wife does an excellent job as a wise- cracking reporter), but this is not Blamire's best.

"The reading of the will, on a dark and stormy night!" so the song goes. This is one of the many fun things in this B offering from Larry Blamire, he of Lost Skeleton of Cadavra and Return of the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra fame. It's a nice little spoof of the 1930s mystery-in-an-old-dark-house genre. It also appears to be hiding in plain sight but is, happily, available on DVD.

Mr. Blamire is interviewed by John Skerchock in Scary Monsters issue no. 79 and the subject is Dark and Stormy Night. I encourage you to find a copy and read.

This is a charming little film, my favorite of the Blamire productions. The performers seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves as we wait anxiously for the resolution to the mystery which is straight out of the 1930s. We have the rich man's will, a gloomy mansion, a couple of goofy reporters and a dysfunctional family full of cheats with at least one of them a sadistic murderer. Of course, they are banded together in a house they cannot leave because of a washed out bridge. This is a great spoof and tribute to the "Old Dark House" genre and is very enjoyable. View it with a cold drink on a lazy summer afternoon or with hot chocolate on a cold winter night. It would be best, of course, if the weather is dark and stormy with heavy rain pounding your windows.

The bonus features on the DVD are great. You may view the film in color or black and white and the behind the scenes production is fantastic. There is also a gag reel and audio commentary by Mr. Blamire and members of the cast. Don't expect a classic, that's not what B films are about, but don't miss this one!

I'm a big fan of The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. This movie definitely falls short of that one, at least on the first viewing, but still has its charm.

If you're unfamiliar with Larry Blamire's work, this film is a "tribute" to those classic 1940's murder mysteries. As with Skeleton, it's definitely a comedy, but not a full-blown parody film. The film is funny (arguably) because it's a bad 1940's movie, not because it's full of jokes. However, there are jokes there too.

The film succeeds in nailing a few stereotypes from the era. Some of the characters are very fun to watch (the high class British guy, the jungle guy, and the cook are among my favorites). Blamire also throws in some great jokes and a couple spoofs on movie conventions.

Unfortunately, this film doesn't work nearly as well as his other movies. First off, the genre isn't played with enough. Just because the murder mystery clichés are exposed doesn't mean they're funny. A prime example of this is the dialogue. Often the dialogue is clichéd, but not unbelievable. Unfortunately, it's done *just* serious enough to not be funny or clever. We're left feeling like there's nothing intentionally funny going on.

Blamire is clearly walking a thin line here: he's trying to make the film believable for the time AND funny for being of that time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it falls flat.

Another of the film's shortcomings is inconsistent characterization. Some of the characters are great, but a few are weak, annoying, or simply feel tacked-on (and not for the sake of being tacked-on).

Ultimately, this film falls short of both Lost Skeleton and its sequel. There are definite laughs to be had, and I suspect a second viewing will provide some new laughs, but overall this film feels lost between dedication to the genre and making fun of it.

Larry Blamire does it again with a film that not only pays homage to the great dark house films of yesteryear, but is able to stand on its own as a truly great and original film. The premise is all so familiar, but this take on it is surprisingly fresh.

The film is the first from Bantam Street to be shot in HD, and it really is beautiful to watch. The mansion miniature is amazing and the costumes are all perfectly done. The cast is made of Bantam Street regulars like Brian Howe and Jeniffer Blaire, all of whom really bring their A-game and do a great job of bringing the stock "dark house" characters to life and of course adding a totally different dimension of fun to them by following Blamire's unique style of direction.

If you like old dark house movies, you'll love this. If you like mystery thrillers, you'll love this. If you like to laugh, you'll love this. "Dark and Stormy Night" is great fun for audiences of all ages, and is one movie you definitely don't want to pass up!