Leading up to Halloween I've been trying to join in on the #spookymonth fun when I can, watching a few Halloween themed television shows and films. Roaming through Letterboxd I came across Clue from 1985, not quite sure whether I had seen it before, but knowing generally what the film might be, I decided to instantly check it out. Assuming the film, based on the appearance Tim Curry alone, be a light-hearted detective film suitable for the night. With its relatively short runtime, Clue was incredibly enjoyable, and reminded me of a genre that seems to be growing few and far between due to the limitations it offers. We have all seen the detective board games where one has to solve a murder mystery, what much more can you do with it?
Though this short runtime means our diverse cast quickly finds themselves surrounded by conflict, with the comedy and tensions rising rapidly as the questions us audience members have follow. I think it really worked, and the comedic elements added to a film that otherwise could've been rather dark. Clue reminds me of the light-hearted Hollywood era of family films where there is a mixture of everything for everyone, with a cast full of talent but very much diverse in their abilities to portray unique characters, and that's how this film moves forward. A fast moving script and chaos!
Before I go ahead and continue with the review, I will refrain from posting specific narrative moments. There won't be any spoilers, and I already definitely recommend checking out this fun murder mystery film over this Halloween holiday. I would be surprised if you didn't enjoy it! Perhaps you won't end up full of fear, but you will get into the right mood.
Clue
Clue takes very little time to get itself up on its feet. Introducing a sudden number of people of importance that each appear at a mansion for a dinner invitation that they don't quite understand who from. Each of them appear at this mansion with a number of questions that go unanswered, told to sit together and dine and enjoy the evening by the mansion's apparent butler. We get very little bits of character development in these scenes as the characters are introduced, but it works to serve as a general introduction to them given the narrative is all about mystery. We don't need to know anything yet, and the lack of knowledge we have served as a strength to the story.
This mansion's general design follows the typical horror and thriller tropes, surrounded by the darkness of the night and the low density of fog that creeps above the roads into the trees. A heavy rainfall heard often, with the frequent flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, often used to distinguish cuts between scenes or moments of tension, often a reveal or deepening of the narrative and its mystery. Also taking advantage of such moments alongside serious use of music to propel the idea of mystery with a mixture of comedy. Relatively slapstick type humour that was often found in the period of the 80s and 90s, somewhat lost going into the 2000s. There's a very theatrical and almost cartoonist style to it in parts and that's what made me quickly begin to love the film. These characters not quite sure how to act and react to the events unfolding around them within this mansion, adding to the conflict and chaos that ensues with both a serious manner and comedic one. These characters don't seem as if they're taking things all that seriously, despite their frantic movements from one room to another to unveil a new part of the broader picture.
Utilising a large mansion's many rooms, the cinematography is mostly static, showing still perspectives of the rooms with a relatively wide angle. Though sometimes we get some creative shots or slow pans as we follow the cast throughout the rooms during their adventures around the mansion in search for, well, clues! Clues as to what is happening and who is responsible. Though we rarely see any of these clues. I quite like this style of directing, where it doesn't attempt to be much more than it needs to be. Though to mix things up we see switches between light and dark within these rooms, the light often only illuminating the eyes of the characters as to reveal the mystery from within. This switch to darkness from the loss of power also allows for the narrative to continue, almost as if to signify a new chapter coming as another event unfolds. A personal favourite in establishing certain context and pushing the dialogue forward is Tim Curry, with his English accent that stands out, well-spoken and seemingly rather sophisticated in his butler character. Though his performance as the butler is energetic, chaotic, and rather silly. While the performances of the entire cast are great, Curry holds most of the charisma.
During these very energetic moments with Curry, the film continues on with it's more cartoonist style. The music seeming like something out of Tom and Jerry, with the group in unison emitting the same dialogue as if the film was in fact a theatrical play on a stage. This is something you often would see in older films, particularly from the 80s and prior; though this is definitely intentional and uses to keep the film alive and joyful despite its otherwise relatively dark tones surrounding mystery and murder. The film towards the end does begin to give us more context behind the characters and what the motives may be, but at that point much of the film has already taken place; this part isn't rushed, but the film is still very much enjoyable without knowing a whole lot about these characters. The film is written in a way where each of these lines does just add to the mystery, as the characters themselves attempt to piece it all together. Though I won't say much else regarding the narrative here!
A creative and simple idea
I mentioned at the start that this murder mystery genre seems like one that is often overlooked; but also one that can be quite hard to address given the generally limited options that can be given. Sure you can change up the locations and characters to give the structure a different setting, but in the eyes of Hollywood that isn't really enough to guarantee people will come. There have been entries like this every so often that have found some success, but I doubt there are many that have managed to have as much charisma as Clue. This film is very creative and rarely takes itself too seriously, and it's that lack of seriousness which holds your attention. It's dramatic in the right ways, and adds comedic tones whenever it wants to remind you to just sit back and enjoy the mystery. It doesn't get too heavy on the action and the gore, because that would definitely ruin things.
This is not a horror film, and I'm not even sure if I would classify it as a thriller. It sort of sits within its own little world with its cast that many will recognise even as they have aged over forty years. I'm really glad I stumbled across this film, while I feel I may have seen it many years ago, it felt completely new and refreshing after the other things I have been watching as of late. If you want to get into the Halloween mood and perhaps don't like heavy gore and action, or even jump scares in your typical horror films, then check this out. It has all the fun without the modern tropes. Johnathan Lynn did a great job at directing this, going as far as having creative cinematography again without making it the focus of the film, focusing on substance in the writing and story over the visuals. Taking key moments and promoting their suspense and comedy with the cinematography, but never really taking us away from what's important.
