Last Night I Watched: ‘Clue’ (1985)

Board games don’t usually translate well into movies – the variable endings don’t work well on screen. But in 1985, everyone’s favourite murder mystery game came to life in the movie Clue.

On paper, it shouldn’t work. But it somehow does, drawing in audiences with a story that cleverly twists the original format into a funny and complex story that gives life to a property that can be quite dull. It manages to walk a fine line, providing fans of the game with multiple references without becoming impenetrable and remaining amusing even when the bodies start to pile up.

Image: Clue release poster – Wikipedia

What really drives this film is the story – instead of a simple murder, political intrigue and 1950s McCarthyism are introduced to the mix, with parts of the film satirising various tropes of the murder-mystery genre. In this respect, it could be considered a spiritual successor to Murder by Death, which satirised popular detectives such as Miss Marple, Poirot and Jack Diamond and gave life to the comedic murder mystery. But Clue keeps you guessing till the end by keeping the pace fast and the action going until the denouement which finally reveals who did it, where, and with what.

The humour that elevates this film beyond the mundane is given life by an outstanding cast, led by the incomparable Tim Curry. Curry is at his best here, and you can see why. Even though he’s not from Transylvania (the planet, not the region), elements of Frank-N-Furter and even Hexxus shine through in his portrayal of Wadsworth, who switches from the perfect butler to something of a madman in mere seconds. In fact, you can see how the film borrowed from the Rocky Horror Picture Show throughout, with a heavy gothic theme and a skilful blend of comedy and murder that almost never works.

Among the suspects are Mrs White, played by Madeline Kahn, best known for her parts in Mel Brooks films such as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Playing the “tragic” black widow, she eventually loses her composure and to this day has some of the most quotable lines in the film. Murder by Death’s Eileen Brennan’s Mrs Peacock is another fantastic character, loudly blustering about and playing the foil to many of the film’s best moments.

In fact, there’s not a member of this cast who doesn’t perform brilliantly as one of the infamous murder suspects. Even the overly sexy maid and heavyset cook play their parts well, hamming it up to stop the film from taking itself too seriously. But the greatest triumph of this criminally underrated film is the ending. I won’t give anything away, but you might have to watch it a few times to fully understand it. Although this may not seem like an accessible film, the pacing, cast and story all conspire to create a film that I’d happily watch over and over again, simply for the zany comedy and campy hi-jinks that permeate it.