Dark and Stormy Night (film)
Encyclopedia
Dark and Stormy Night is a 2009 independent film
spoofing the haunted house
and murder mystery films produced by Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s. Larry Blamire
directed and acted in the film and wrote the screenplay. The film also includes many cast members from Blamire's previous films (such as The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
and Trail of the Screaming Forehead)
They are joined by rival reporters Eight O'Clock Faraday (Daniel Roebuck) and Billy Tuesday (Jennifer Blaire) along with cab driver Happy Codburn (Dan Conroy), to whom Faraday owes "toity-five cents" (not including tip). The party grows by two when psychic Mrs. Cupcupboard (Allison Martin) and "stranded motorist" Ray Vestinhaus (Larry Blamire) arrive unexpectedly.
The large group gathers in the home's parlor so that lawyer Farper Twyly (Mark Redfield) can read the will. Before Twyly begins, the guests note the unusual threats surrounding the estate: Sabasha has been the subject of mysterious death threats; a serial killer
known as the "Cavinder Strangler" is still at large and in the area; and it happens to be the same night on which the 300-year-old ghost of Sarah Cavinder is supposed to return.
Twyly reads the will, revealing that some characters receive trivial gifts and other substantial ones. The bulk of the estate is given to Sabasha, but with the clause that upon her death the estate would then be given to Burling. Twyly then reveals the existence of an additional letter that amends the will; he discovers that it has been stolen, but assures the group that he and only he knows the contents. Before he can recite the letter, the lights are turned off. When they are turned back on, the group discovers that Twyly has been stabbed to death.
When Ray tells the group that the only bridge back to town collapsed behind him, Faraday and Tuesday suggest that they all wait until morning for the police to arrive. However, at the stroke of midnight, Pristy is strangled by a masked killer. Dr. Van Von Vandervon (H.M. Wynant) arrives and announces that he's tracked an escaped lunatic to the house, but because of the nature of his work (in which the therapist and patient never see each other), he is not sure what the patient looks like, or even if it's a man or woman.
Over the course of the evening, the group attempts to find both the letter and clues leading to the killer. A seance is held by Mrs. Cupcupboard, but the spirit (Marvin Kaplan
) is of no help. Mrs. Hausenstout occasionally pops up with a gorilla (Bob Burns) in tow, and a police inspector (Tom Reese) arrives--and is promptly killed. As the night progresses, Jack, Teak, Seyton and Dr. Von Vandervon are murdered, as is Archie the cook (Robert Deveau). Happy discovers a woman (Susan McConnell) locked in an attic room. Although the group assumes she is the ghost of Sarah Cavinder, the housemaid Jane (Trish Geiger) tells them that she is Thessaly, the confrontational and slightly insane daughter of Sinas Cavinder. Jane also knows the contents of the letter and tells Faraday and Tuesday that the letter makes Thessaly, not Sabasha, the inheritor of the estate.
Faraday and Tuesday track down and confront the guilty parties--Burling and Sabasha, who began the night working independently but who later "joined forces" to knock off their rivals to the inheritance. Faraday and Tuesday also deduce that the real Sabasha is dead and that the woman pretending to be her is actually Dr. Von Vandervon's escaped lunatic.
Burling threatens to blow up the house unless Faraday and Tuesday turn over the letter, but he is accidentally electrocuted after being confronted by Thessaly. Ray appears and admits that he is actually Bax Tremblay, a police investigator working undercover. He, Faraday, and Tuesday attempt to apprehend the false Sabasha, but she strangles herself to death to avoid capture.
The next morning, Thessaly takes possession of the estate. Faraday proposes marriage to Tuesday and she accepts; the two of them agree to share their newspaper "scoop." They are driven away by Happy, who belatedly realizes that because he left the cab's meter running all night, Faraday owes him $87.42.
by Shout! Factory
on August 17, 2010, as was another Blamire film, The Lost Skeleton Returns Again.
Boston Phoenix film critic Peter Keough gave the film a rating of 2 1/2 stars (out of 4), calling it a "fitfully entertaining black-and-white farce."
Boston Globe critic Tom Russo gave the film 2 stars (out of 4), noting that "patter and performances will grow on you, but only after you've built some stamina."
Horror film website DreadCentral.com gave the film a mixed review, stating that "(w)hile that all sounds like fun, and for the most part it is, Dark and Stormy Night, while authentic feeling, just isn't as funny as it would like to believe that it is."
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
spoofing the haunted house
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
and murder mystery films produced by Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s. Larry Blamire
Larry Blamire
Larry Blamire is an American filmmaker, writer and artist best known for the independent film The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.-Biography:Blamire was raised in Massachusetts and studied illustration at the Art Institute of Boston under Norman Baer, a second generation student of Howard Pyle.-Comic...
directed and acted in the film and wrote the screenplay. The film also includes many cast members from Blamire's previous films (such as The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is an independent film spoofing 1950s era B-movies. It was videotaped on a budget of less than USD $100,000, and converted to black-and-white film in post-production. Larry Blamire acted in and directed the film, wrote its screenplay and provided the voice of the...
and Trail of the Screaming Forehead)
Plot
On a dark and stormy night in the 1930s, a number of people gather at an isolated country estate to hear the reading of the will of the wealthy Sinas Cavinder, including: wealthy nephew Burling Famish Jr. (Brian Howe) and his wife Pristy (Christine Romeo); Pristy's dim-witted lover Teak Armbruster (Kevin Quinn); big-game hunter Jack Tugdon (Jim Beaver); the foppish Lord Partfine (Andrew Parks); elderly Mrs. Hausenstout (Betty Garrett); kindly Seyton Ethelquake (James Karen); and the fragile Sabasha Fanmoore (Fay Masterson), Cavinder's ward.They are joined by rival reporters Eight O'Clock Faraday (Daniel Roebuck) and Billy Tuesday (Jennifer Blaire) along with cab driver Happy Codburn (Dan Conroy), to whom Faraday owes "toity-five cents" (not including tip). The party grows by two when psychic Mrs. Cupcupboard (Allison Martin) and "stranded motorist" Ray Vestinhaus (Larry Blamire) arrive unexpectedly.
The large group gathers in the home's parlor so that lawyer Farper Twyly (Mark Redfield) can read the will. Before Twyly begins, the guests note the unusual threats surrounding the estate: Sabasha has been the subject of mysterious death threats; a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
known as the "Cavinder Strangler" is still at large and in the area; and it happens to be the same night on which the 300-year-old ghost of Sarah Cavinder is supposed to return.
Twyly reads the will, revealing that some characters receive trivial gifts and other substantial ones. The bulk of the estate is given to Sabasha, but with the clause that upon her death the estate would then be given to Burling. Twyly then reveals the existence of an additional letter that amends the will; he discovers that it has been stolen, but assures the group that he and only he knows the contents. Before he can recite the letter, the lights are turned off. When they are turned back on, the group discovers that Twyly has been stabbed to death.
When Ray tells the group that the only bridge back to town collapsed behind him, Faraday and Tuesday suggest that they all wait until morning for the police to arrive. However, at the stroke of midnight, Pristy is strangled by a masked killer. Dr. Van Von Vandervon (H.M. Wynant) arrives and announces that he's tracked an escaped lunatic to the house, but because of the nature of his work (in which the therapist and patient never see each other), he is not sure what the patient looks like, or even if it's a man or woman.
Over the course of the evening, the group attempts to find both the letter and clues leading to the killer. A seance is held by Mrs. Cupcupboard, but the spirit (Marvin Kaplan
Marvin Kaplan
Marvin Kaplan is an American character actor and voice artist. Kaplan is probably best known for his recurring role on the sitcom Alice where he portrayed a phone company employee named Henry Beesmeyer who frequented Mel's diner. He was a part of the cast from 1977 to the series end in 1985...
) is of no help. Mrs. Hausenstout occasionally pops up with a gorilla (Bob Burns) in tow, and a police inspector (Tom Reese) arrives--and is promptly killed. As the night progresses, Jack, Teak, Seyton and Dr. Von Vandervon are murdered, as is Archie the cook (Robert Deveau). Happy discovers a woman (Susan McConnell) locked in an attic room. Although the group assumes she is the ghost of Sarah Cavinder, the housemaid Jane (Trish Geiger) tells them that she is Thessaly, the confrontational and slightly insane daughter of Sinas Cavinder. Jane also knows the contents of the letter and tells Faraday and Tuesday that the letter makes Thessaly, not Sabasha, the inheritor of the estate.
Faraday and Tuesday track down and confront the guilty parties--Burling and Sabasha, who began the night working independently but who later "joined forces" to knock off their rivals to the inheritance. Faraday and Tuesday also deduce that the real Sabasha is dead and that the woman pretending to be her is actually Dr. Von Vandervon's escaped lunatic.
Burling threatens to blow up the house unless Faraday and Tuesday turn over the letter, but he is accidentally electrocuted after being confronted by Thessaly. Ray appears and admits that he is actually Bax Tremblay, a police investigator working undercover. He, Faraday, and Tuesday attempt to apprehend the false Sabasha, but she strangles herself to death to avoid capture.
The next morning, Thessaly takes possession of the estate. Faraday proposes marriage to Tuesday and she accepts; the two of them agree to share their newspaper "scoop." They are driven away by Happy, who belatedly realizes that because he left the cab's meter running all night, Faraday owes him $87.42.
Cast
- Daniel RoebuckDaniel RoebuckDaniel James Roebuck is an American television film actor, writer and producer, primarily in films, soap operas and television.-Life and career:...
as 8 O'Clock Farrady - Jennifer Blaire as Billy Tuesday
- Dan Conroy as Happy Codburn
- Jim BeaverJim BeaverJames Norman "Jim" Beaver, Jr. is an American stage, film, and television actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film historian...
as Jack Tugdon - Larry BlamireLarry BlamireLarry Blamire is an American filmmaker, writer and artist best known for the independent film The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.-Biography:Blamire was raised in Massachusetts and studied illustration at the Art Institute of Boston under Norman Baer, a second generation student of Howard Pyle.-Comic...
as Ray Vestinhaus - Brian HoweBrian Howe (actor)Brian Howe is an American actor, most famous for his portrayal of stockbroker Jay Twistle in the film The Pursuit of Happyness. His other films include The Majestic, Catch Me If You Can, RV, Déjà Vu, Evan Almighty and Gran Torino...
as Burling Famish, Jr. - James Karen as Seyton Ethelquake
- Allison Martin as Mrs. Cupcakeboard
- Fay MastersonFay MastersonFay Masterson is an English film, television and video-game actress. She is also a voice actor.-Career:Masterson's performance career began as a dancer which she gave up at age 11 to attend the Brite Lites Academy in Eltham, Southeast London...
as Sabasha Fanmoore - Susan McConnell as Thessaly
- Andrew ParksAndrew ParksAndrew Lawrence Parks is an American film and television actor.Born in Los Angeles, California to actors Larry Parks and Betty Garrett, Andrew Parks made his film debut at the age of eleven but did not continue his acting career for another eight years, beginning with The Strawberry Statement in...
as Lord Partfine - Kevin Quinn as Teak Armbruster
- Christine Romeo as Pristy Famish
- H.M. Wynant as Dr. Van Von Vandervon
Release
The film was first screened at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 16, 2009. The film began its theatrical run at the Coolidge Corner in Boston on May 21, 2010, and was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
on August 17, 2010, as was another Blamire film, The Lost Skeleton Returns Again.
Reception
Dark and Stormy Night received mixed reviews. As of January 2011, the film had a 67% "fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes.com.Boston Phoenix film critic Peter Keough gave the film a rating of 2 1/2 stars (out of 4), calling it a "fitfully entertaining black-and-white farce."
Boston Globe critic Tom Russo gave the film 2 stars (out of 4), noting that "patter and performances will grow on you, but only after you've built some stamina."
Horror film website DreadCentral.com gave the film a mixed review, stating that "(w)hile that all sounds like fun, and for the most part it is, Dark and Stormy Night, while authentic feeling, just isn't as funny as it would like to believe that it is."