A tribute to or parody of the murder mystery movies of Hollywood from throughout the 1930s and 1940s — sometimes referred to as “old dark house” projects —Dark and Stormy Night(2009) premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival at the turn of the 2000s.
Written and directed by Larry Blamire, who also appears in the film as Ray Vestinhaus, this is arguably the funniest film he’s ever made. Granted, you’ve likely never seen any of his movies, as they’ve all been made on shoestring budgets with frankly absurd premises and even more ridiculous styles of execution. They don’t exactly appeal to the widest of audiences, in other words.
But Blamire boasts a strong following of film fans who tune in whenever he releases a new motion picture. And althoughDark and Stormy Nightisn’t the most popular of his projects, it without a doubt played a part in rendering Larry Blamire a well-known figure in the realm of B-movies.
Who Is Larry Blamire?
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, scores of science fiction and horror films were referred to as B-movies. They saw a decline in the two subsequent decades, but many titles thereof still boast strong cult followings. And even then, a particular corner of creatives in Hollywood are still pumping outmovies of this ilkto this day. One such example is Larry Blamire, the writer-director of the comedy film at hand.
But the project he’s best known for isThe Lost Skeleton of Cadavra(2004). Sure, critics like Roger Ebert weren’t exactly ecstatic about its quality in their respective reviews. But it nonetheless holds a 54% approval rating on critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes. Far from the worst score in the world. Plus, all of Blamire’s movies gain their traction through the home video market, only receiving a limited release in theaters, if at all.
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The Lost Skeletonsaw decent success, though, leading Blamire to next makeMeet the Mobsters(2005). It tells the story of a gangster who gives orders to his hitmen via a nightclub singer’s specific lyrics, and the film as a whole picked up even less attention than his debut. But a few years down the line, home video distributor Shout! Factory released two Blamire films on DVD:The Lost Skeleton Returns Again(2010) — a sequel to his first film, obviously — alongside the movie of the hour,Dark and Stormy Night.
His most recent feature to release on DVD came in the following year withTrail of the Screaming Forehead(2011). It of course provides the laughs you’d seek for a film of its ilk, as can be said for most projects by the director at hand. But Blamire is far from the onlyfilmmaker of comediesthat may have flown under your radar.
Other Comedies You’ve Never Seen
All of those films from Blamire have likely eluded you, but in the prior decade to his most significant stretch of films, a director named Jim Mallon releasedMystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie(1996). It’s an adaptation of the television series of the same name, created by Joel Hodgson. The film counterpart released on VHS first, then later DVD, and it actually saw positive reviews from critics. You’re probably familiar to some extent with that one, though.
Another under-the-radar comedy isAlien Trespass(2009) from the same year as the film of the hour. It’s also a spoof, and likeThe Lost Skeletonby Blamire, it also specifically makes fun of the science fiction entries of B-movies past. There’s also Don Coscarelli’sJohn Dies at the End(2012), adapted from David Wong’s 2007 novel of the same name. That project was made with less than a million dollars, but garnered just over $100,000 in the end. At least it saw a release in theaters, though.
What We Do in the Shadows(2014) was made from a miniscule budget as well, but it had a decent theatrical run in the United States with even more traction gained through its subsequent entry intothe home video market. It’s pretty well-known these days, in other words, and thereby fails to qualify as overlooked or underrated. At one point, it did. But in the end, one project in particular projects itself as perhaps the funniest movie you’ve never seen.
Why Dark and Stormy Night Stands Out
The film of the hour features a refined, familiar setting in the “old dark house” location. When several strangers gather in an archaic abode as such — especially when the film was converted to black-and-white in post-production — audiences should be immediately tuned into the ilk of film: a murder-mystery. Off the bat, you’re more likely to recognize the atmosphere ofDark and Stormy Nightthan the actors therein, for instance. Although, as far as B-movie casts go, this one is fairly talented. But there are more notable elements when deeming this the funniest movie you’ve never seen.
While you’ve probably never seen a movie by Blamire, the most popular entry among his filmography would beThe Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. In other words, if you’ve ever seen a Blamire film, it most likely was notDark and Stormy Night. That’s primarily why it stands out asthe funniest moviethat you’ve never seen — that title likely goes to a film by Blamire, and it isn’t in theLost Skeletonseries.
But the other reason the film at hand is highlighted in this regard is because, well, it’s actually a fully developed script worth writing home about for more than its simple spoofing of genre conventions. There are some truly rounded character dynamics at play inDark and Stormy Night, with witty wordplay around every corner of its well-written script. If you’ve never indulged in the hilarity of this seminal spoof of haunted house films, rest assured you’ll laugh from start to finish.
