Dark and Stormy Night

"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.

I've seen writer-director Larry Blamire's three previous comedies (THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA, TRAIL OF THE SCREAMING FOREHEAD, and THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN) each a funny, affectionate and wildly inspired satire of Z-grade sci-fi films from the 50s and 60s. But DARK AND STORMY NIGHT, which I saw in a special screening at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles, goes beyond a simple spoof to a kind of wonderfully weird and wild verbal comedy which, at its best, reminded me of the Paramount-era Marx Brothers.

The film is a giddy bouillabaisse of every Old Dark House picture ever made, from the eponymous "The Old Dark House," to "The Bat Whispers," "Murder in the Blue Room," "Hold That Ghost," "And Then There Were None," and even a few chunks of Lugosi's "The Black Cat" (1934) and "The Ape Man," all stirred together by a loving, but demented hand.

The result is one of Blamire's funniest films, and showcasing some truly inspired performances -- Brian Howe's Colonel Blimp accent and permanent wince, Fay Masterson's alternately weepy and creepy ingénue, Andrew Parks' Noel-Coward-from-Costco character, whose constant epigrams are so circular they hang themselves, and Dan Conroy's straight-from-Central-Casting cabbie whose Brooklyn dialect makes Leo Gorcy sound like Alistaire Cooke. But for me the most pitch-perfect performances were delivered by Dan Roebuck and Jennifer Blaire as the competing reporters 8 O'Clock Farraday and Billy Tuesday. They spat their period gibes and rapid-fire, side-of-the-mouth patter with a wise-guy brio that was not only funny, but which so nicely nailed their beloved B-film archetypes they could've been dropped into any Poverty Row programmer of the period without the audience batting an eye. Both were great, but personally, I've always had a weakness for sharp, fast-talking dame reporters, and Blaire skillfully channeled a combination of Glenda's Farrell's Torchy Blane and Roz Russell's Hildy Johnson that left a smile on my face long after the film was over.

The jokes are non-stop, and yet, like Lost Skeleton, the picture is not only an affectionate spoof, it's a story that holds together and pays off in its own way. Anyone who's ever spent a rainy Saturday afternoon watching old Mascot, Monogram, or PRC programmers on TV will likely adore this movie.

Basically, it's a hilarious flick with a shocking twist ending; like THE CRYING GAME, but with less foreskin. And how often can you say that?

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!

"Dark and Stormy Night" is my second encounter with the work of writer/director Larry Blamire; following "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra". Both films establish the same fact, namely that Blamire is a devoted and fanatically enthusiast fan of old-fashioned cheap and cheesy B-movies. "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" was the ultimate tribute to nonsensical Sci-Fi movies from the 1950's and 60's, complete with all the clichéd story lines and campy alien monster designs you could ever imagine, whereas this "Dark and Stormy Night" is a parody of all those typical old dark house movies and Agatha Christie mysteries. In good old "And then there were none…" tradition, a whole bunch of seemingly unrelated individuals arrive at a creepy isolated estate during a … well, dark and stormy night! The estate belonged to the rich but recently deceased Sinas Cavinder and everyone there gathered for the reading of his will. Moments before a giant revelation, however, the lights go out and lots of turmoil can be heard. When the lights are back on, the attorney has been stabbed to death and the invitees have to figure out the secret of the testament, knowing one of the group is a murderer. The rest of the night is filled with assassination attempts, dark corridors and secret passages, random gorilla encounters and a competitive battle between two freelance journalists. Personally, I think it's truly praiseworthy how Larry Blamire exclusively wants to bring comedy through substantial jokes, stereotypical characterizations and subtle references towards old movies. There are numerous spoofs and parodies being made nowadays, but they always revert to crude and vulgar sex jokes. "Dark and Stormy Night" doesn't feature any infantile humor like that. You won't hear me claim that all gags and references are successful and laugh-out-loud hilarious (far from it…), but at least the nature of the jokes never becomes embarrassing. The acting performances are decent, especially Larry Blamire himself who portrays one of the invitees in a deliberately wooden and amateurish fashion. There are some nice decors and the man in the gorilla suit is a delightful detail, seeing so many of those old haunted house movies had a gorilla locked up in the basement.