Such a Night

In 2009, I went to see the premier of a movie that was not available on DVD. Simply put, that movie, Larry Blamire's Dark and Stormy Night, is now available through Netflix.

Dark and Stormy Night is a loving parody of 1930s Old Dark House movies. I don't think that it is as much of a masterpiece as Blamire's The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, a 1950s sci-fi spoof. I guess it's a little harder to technically match the velvety shadows and creamy highlights of the classic black and white horror movie. Also, the tone is a little uneven, with some characters acting a little too "in on the joke". But it is so stuffed with characters, situations, gags and plot twists, it's hard to care while you are watching it.

Readers who have been reading may also know that the Lost Skeleton's sequel is also available: The Lost Skeleton Returns Again. We'll be watching that soon.

If you aren't sure this is your cup of tea, go to YouTube and search for "Tales from the Pub". You will find a few dozen short (2-3 minutes) black and white mysteries, all set in a pub, written and directed by Larry Blamire. If you like these, start queuing up the Blamire.

Update: We had so much fun watching Dark and Stormy Night, we went and streamed The Mystery of the 13th Guest. This is the 1942 remake of the 1932 Thirteenth Guest, with Ginger Rogers. Ginger Rogers is not in the remake, but it was directed by William "One-Shot" Beaudine, of Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter fame. It's a pretty dopey movie, with a comic police stooge named Speed (Frank Faylen). He adds a rather Stan Laurel touch to a pretty conventional mystery. What the movie lacks in chills, style, coherence or logic it makes up in ... well, it's very short.

The 1932 version is in the public domain, and you can download from Archive.org.