User reviews

Arnold may be the most active corpse in the history of movies (we're not talking about zombies here). There he is, lying in his casket throughout the movie, and yet his presence dominates the world of the living, and his sardonic smile makes him look pretty darn alive. This highly original horror comedy has a morbid sense of humor and will keep you guessing all the way, but ultimately has one twist too many, becoming excessively illogical by the end. It's still recommended, perhaps as a double feature with "Terror In The Wax Museum", another 1973 film by the same director, with many of the same stars, with even the same "they never set foot outside the studio" feeling. (**1/2)

I've noticed there aren't a lot of comments on this film, and for good reason. It's been burried in the annals of time, from that dark age where films where made before Direct to Video that were obviously prime candidates.

I managed to see the piece with my fiance last weekend on television as part of a run of 'bad movies'. We intended to go out to a show that night, but ended up caught up in the funny weirdness of the story, the sets, the acting, the whole mess, and couldn't leave. Each time we planned to get up to go, we remained seated, glued to the set, in awe of the bizzare feature. It was like some sort of perverse Estragon and Vladimir situation.

And if that isn't a recommendation, I don't know what is.

It's certainly no classic. It's a pretty lousy movie. The cheerful early seventies theme that opens the feature ("How happy we'll be, together you and me... Arrrrnold, Arrrnold!") is played over the background of a funeral in an obviously small soundstage with styrafoam tombstones and the obligatory raven and fog, which is of course hillarious.

But it's a fun watch. No one in it thinks they're in a classic, and the whole situation gets quite laughable frequently. It's got enough aspects of a whodunit to be vaugly interesting.

Best points are probably the police constable commenting 'Now, is this place a cemetary because it's always foggy here, or is it always foggy here because it's a cemetary?' and the tapedeck in the coffin. Oyvey!

The only word for it is 'hypnotic'. You'll keep watching. You won't believe what you're seeing, yet you'll have to watch more.

In the words of the bobby "If I hadn't a seen it I wouldn'ta believed it!"

Bing Crosby Productions (BCP for short) was kind of the Aaron Spelling studio of theatrical B-pics, (if that's not too redundant a comparison) when this was initially released. For an association with one of America's foremost crooners, the company turned out a pretty grisly roster of flicks, (apropos, I guess, in light of the Crosby family history that surfaced later.) Film buffs may recall WILLARD, its inescapable sequel BEN, TERROR IN THE WAX MUSEUM, "W," and of course ARNOLD, among BCP's more visible offerings.

Of the bunch, ARNOLD was definitely the most ghoulish fun. A who's who of well-preserved Hollyweird relics and die-hard character actors, it predated the slasher film onslaught that would overrun theaters later with its premise of not so much "whodunnit," but who would get it next and how.

Stella Stevens played a blushing, buxom bride about to make a most unusual deal with her much older hubby to be; an arrangement that is literally a lift from TALES OF THE CRYPT. The foxy former flight attendant has agreed to wed her betrothed...AFTER his death, in order to inherit his considerable millions. What's more, she's pledged to stay by his side and remain faithful only to him.

The combination funeral/wedding has got to be seen to be believed, complete with the weirdest serenade ever warbled by show tune chanteuse Shani Wallis. To complete the bizarro scene, Arnold even guides the proceedings through tape recordings, played in a machine installed in his coffin!

The whole thing takes on the air of a ninety minute game of "Clue" played in reverse, as greedy, grasping relatives and hangers-on are dispatched in the most gory and inventive ways possible for a dead guy to come up with. Amongst the suspects/victims are THE Elsa Lanchester, Roddy McDowall, Patric Knowles, Farley Granger, the witchy Ms. Wallis, who gets to sample some of the hottest "cold cream" on the market, Jamie Farr (yeah, Klinger from M*A*S*H himself,) and Victor Buono, in a hysterical cameo as the 'lucky' minister who gets to officiate at the nuptials.

Serving as the hysterically inept and definitely non-PC Greek chorus is Bernard Fox of HOGAN'S HEROES fame, (most recently seen in the Brendan Fraser MUMMY remake), as the bumbling inspector in charge of investigating the murders, while giving a running commentary on the action.

Most moviegoers found this a little too dark and gruesome to be a farcical romp, (little did they know that SCREAM was on the way about thirty years down the road), but it looks like a good time was had by all, and though it's somewhat dated, this '70's sendup is still worth a look, especially since all its stars are allowed to do what they did best. ARNOLD proves to be the liveliest dead guy who ever threw a family "bash," and one thing's for sure...you won't soon forget him!

Among the many weird and tasteless movies of the 1970s, I'd definitely place "Arnold" in my top 10. Why? Well, the story is about necrophilia and a dead man manages to murder the folks who hated him...even though he seems very dead! How do you know he's dead? His girlfriend (Stella Stevens) carts along his enbalmed corpse everywhere she goes...per this weirdo's will!

"Arnold" begins with something 'unique'. A rich man's mistress (Stella Stevens) is marrying Arnold...even though he is dead! Yes, he's in an open coffin and all his family and friends are there to wish the two luck. Clearly this is a movie in bad taste...which is why I actually kept watching!

During the wedding and subsequent reading of the will, Arnold himself talks to everyone via cassette tapes he made in life. What makes this so weird is that Arnold has anticipated everyone's reactions...including his telling his estranged wife to sit down when she hops up during this time!

Later in the film, folks start to die...and once again, Arnold's voice talks to the victims and taunts them. To me it's pretty obvious who is orchestrating all this, as Arnold IS very dead and cannot play the tapes!

This is a very kooky film in bad taste...much like 1970s movies such as "Harold & Maude", "Female Trouble", "Who Slew Auntie Roo?", the Dr. Phibes films or "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)". They all deliberately provoke the audience...daring you to keep watching and managing to keep your interest due to the weird (and funny) script.

So should you watch it? Well, if you are a nice and proper person...no way! But if you relish a bit of the weird, by all means give this bizarro movie a watch. It works mostly because it never takes itself very seriously.

This film is one that I learned about through the Horror Show Guide encyclopedia I'm working through. It is interesting to revisit this as I didn't realize how stacked the cast was. I thought this was fine during my first watch and now giving it a second go for my Traverse through the Threes.

Synopsis: upon his death, Arnold (Norman Stuart) marries his lover, Karen (Stella Stevens), despite his widow and leaves deathtraps accompanied by audiotapes along with his preserved and articulate corpse for those who cared only for his money.

We start this in a cemetery. There is a raven that is bothering a cat, but just avoiding being killed. We then meet the caretaker of this cemetery, Jonesy (Ben Wright). He is joined by the constable, who is kind of bumbling and named Hooke (Bernard Fox). They watch as a casket is carried to a church. You'd assume for a funeral service, but it's a wedding. A party of women go past into the church as well. Constable Hooke is confused and goes to tell them that they have mixed up something. He watches on.

Inside we see that this is not the case. There is a wedding between Lord Arnold Dwellyn and the much younger Karen. We see that everyone attending is shocked by the ceremony. They are his younger brother Robert (Roddy McDowall), his sister Hester (Elsa Lanchester), his widow of Lady Jocelyn (Shani Wallis), his cousin and lawyer Douglas Whitehead (Patrick Knowles). He also brought along a younger man who is learning, Evan Lyons (Farley Granger). A servant is also there, Dybbi (Jamie Farr) and the minister is played by Victor Buono.

We then shift to the will reading. It is here we learn more about the parties involved. Arnold and Jocelyn's marriage was quite loveless. She didn't do much to help him when her husband became terminally ill. Karen was his mistress and agreed to marry him upon his death. Robert is a mooch. Hester is eccentric. Not shocking as well is that Arnold was a vindictive man. He is nice to those that showed him respect, allowing Hester to live in his house for as long as she would like. He leaves Robert nothing, since he does nothing. He leaves his widow one share in his corporation. He leaves the rest to Karen, as long as she stays loyal to their marriage. His will reading has all been done by tape, including responses he knows that people will have, so it is like they are speaking to each other.

This isn't the only thing he foresaw. More tapes come and Arnold has plans for those in attendance. We see that someone is watching through the eye of a painting. Jocelyn has been seeing Evan and she is punished. Robert also has been secretly seeing Karen. He puts on a suit from Arnold's collection and meets a terrible fate. This makes you question if Arnold is alive or dead. Also, how far has he planned to punish his greedy family members.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is saying that I came in not knowing anything about this film and was pleasantly surprised. I saw a comment stating that this is kind of like The Abominable Dr. Phibes and I can see that. It seems also like a Saw-type plot, made thirty years before they came about. I am a fan of the fact that Arnold is ahead of the game and knows what these people will do. He knows they're greedy and he's giving them the chance to do the right thing. When they don't, they're punished. There is someone helping him though, we see that early on looking from the eye of the painting. That seems more plausible than some revenge films.

What makes this work though is the acting. We have the likes of McDowall, Lanchester, Granger, Fox and Knowles leading the way. They were all at the top of the game at different times. Each one takes on such different characters here that feel like a dysfunctional family. Stevens is someone I didn't know a lot about, but I liked her. She is a modern woman who knows that she can use her sexuality to manipulate Arnold, Robert, Douglas and even Evan. It doesn't work out well for her, but she is trying. I should also say that Wallis was solid. We get cameos by John McGiver and Farr who work as well. I do have to bring up, it is a bit racist for the latter. He is taking on an Indian character so he's in brown face. That doesn't ruin it but makes it problematic today instead of hiring an actor of that descent. I also think the brand of comedy works. It is a black comedy and our players understand the assignment. Credit here for sure for a solid cast across the board.

Another thing that works is filmmaking. The deaths are interesting. We get a face cream to kill one. A suit that gets tighter which makes me think of a medieval torture device. There is creativity here and going practical helps bring character. I was impressed there. The setting is also a plus. We are getting a bit of the 'old dark house' with secret passages. Making it seem like Arnold is alive helps here. The cemetery is also always foggy. What is funny there is that characters' commenting on it. I'd say that cinematography is well done to hide things. This comes in with a PG rating so that is impressive there. What doesn't necessarily work is the soundtrack. We get these odd musical interludes that are sung by Wallis. They are cheesy, I will give them that. This is a well-made movie despite that little blip.

There isn't anything else that I want to delve into here so in conclusion, this is a fun horror film with black comedy elements. The premises aren't new, with both Dr. Phibes films already being out. I like what they do with it here. What makes this work is the cast. We have the likes of McDowall, Lanchester and Granger here. The rest of the cast are good in support. This is a well-made movie with the deaths being a bright spot along with the cinematography. The only drawback being the songs being made for the movie. That doesn't ruin this though. I'd recommend this one if you're fans of cinema of this era as I had fun here.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

Arnold is everything a black comedy should be! It has the all the cynicism and wit of a Gogol novel. Another terrific performance by the incomparable Roddy McDowell...if only I could find out where to buy one of his "shrink wrap suits" to send to all of my "favourite" people.

1973's "Arnold" served as the second in a double bill from two brothers far busier in television, producer Andrew J. Fenady and lesser known director Georg, shooting roughly four months after completing "Terror in the Wax Museum." Bing Crosby Productions and distributor Cinerama had enjoyed previous success with "Willard" and its sequel "Ben," but never actually paired these films together, Cinerama actually collapsing less than a year after the belated release of "Arnold." "Terror" can easily claim to be a straight up murder mystery with horror elements, while its companion piece, boasting many of the same cast members (Elsa Lanchester, Patric Knowles, Shani Wallis, Ben Wright, and Steven Marlo), is definitely a tricky affair, a morbid black comedy that ultimately proved more difficult to market. It opens in somber fashion as a funeral procession delivers the corpse of wealthy Lord Arnold Dwellyn (Norman Stuart) under the watchful gaze of Constable Hooke (Bernard Fox) and grave digger Jonesy (Ben Wright), only to stare in amazement at the arrival of beautiful Karen (Stella Stevens), clad in a wedding gown for the incongruous nuptials. The understandably flustered Minister (Victor Buono) stammers through the wedding ceremony, after which the participants gather together for a reading of the will, unusual in that the deceased has left specific instructions behind on recorded cassette tapes that can be played in his specially designed coffin. As his extramarital lover, Karen is to be Arnold's chosen heir, to the detriment of brother Robert (Roddy McDowall) and sister Hester (Elsa Lanchester), the not so grieving widow Lady Dwellyn (Shani Wallis) meeting her demise before night's end from a deadly application of cold cream doused with acid. Worthless playboy Robert has always coveted everything that his sibling possessed, including the curvaceous Karen, and is soon crushed by Arnold's constricting new suit. Next to perish is solicitor Douglas Whitehead (Patric Knowles), whose fatal attempt to score 'fringe benefits' from the distraught Karen is soon followed by the decapitation of suspicious behaving manservant Dybbi (Jamie Farr). The culprit becomes easier to spot once the cast gets whittled down, but McDowall's absence at the midway point leaves a gaping hole that can't be filled by performers without his flair for macabre humor (a role similar to his greedy killer in the "Night Gallery" pilot). Constable Hooke's running commentary on the nature of each death, and finding only 'bits and pieces' of the last three victims, offers most of the amusement on hand, leading to the best punch line as he sadly announces losing his lascivious father (John McGiver) and his busty fiancee (Wanda Bailey) at the same time ("they died?" "eloped!"). There's a natural suspension of disbelief as the improbabilities mount before a somewhat disappointing climax, but overall what should have become a cult item may yet find its proper audience. Best remembered for such popular TV Westerns as THE REBEL, BRANDED, and HONDO, Andrew J. Fenady revealed years later that the uncredited voice of the deceased Arnold belonged to underrated Australian thespian Murray Matheson, known for character roles in shows like THRILLER ("The Poisoner"), THE TWILIGHT ZONE ("Five Characters in Search of an Exit"), and KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER ("Horror in the Heights").

This is a pretty black little film, and I actually really like it. It makes you wonder how they got the money to put it together and got all the celebrities to be in it. Roddy McDowell and Stella Stevens were fresh off of "Poseidon Adventure." Was this a good career move? Who cares? They were both actors who were willing to work, even if it meant doing dumb movies.

Stella Stevens plays a woman carrying out the wishes of her lover, that she marry him after he is dead. That's how the movie STARTS, and it keeps going from there! What follows is a combination of campy 70's sitcom humor, a "And Then There Were None"-style "whodunnit" mystery and some grisly, inventive death scenes.

The pace is brisk as it moves to a surprise ending that is both satisfying and pretty disturbing for a "comedy." I respect a film that is willing to pretend to be all light and funny, then end so hatefully! The theme of this film is that everyone is money-grubbing, selfish and weak. Nasty, black-hearted, TRULY WEIRD (the opening song just kills me) and I love it! And Stella Stevens is gorgeous and amazing, as always.

Upon his death "Lord Arnold Dewellyn" (Norman Stuart) makes arrangements to be married to a woman by the name of "Karen" (Stella Stevens) even though he leaves behind a widow named "Lady Jocelyn Dewellyn" (Shani Wallis). As it turns out, the reason he does this is because he wishes to settle some old scores with everyone who supposedly loved him but were only interested in his money. Think of it as a kind of sick joke which he continues to play upon with the reading of the will in which he mandates certain instructions intended to cause even more problems for all concerned. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I didn't particularly care for this movie that much due in large part to the absence of humor and the morbid circumstances surrounding everything. To be sure, there is some mystery here and there and Stella Stevens was definitely quite attractive. Even so, I found the overall plot to be somewhat distasteful and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Below average.

This is a great little dark comedy with a superb cast. A must for anyone who loves dark comedy. I think a lot of people avoided it because they thought it was a cheap horror film.

The Abominable Dr Phibes was quite successful. One of the first films to feature "creative deaths", it was soon followed by a sequel and imitations (Theater of Blood, also with Vincent Price).

Arnold follows the pattern of someone who may or may not be dead getting revenge on those who have wronged him. Here we have a corpse (is it really millionaire Arnold Dewellyn?) who lays in his coffin for the entire movie while tapes of his voice are played at various intervals. Arnold knows his greedy relatives are after his money, but he has a surprise for each of them. Who will survive???

This movie is basically a comedy, with some semi-gruesome murders (tame by today's standards) thrown in. If you like black-comedies (Murder By Death for example) you should enjoy this PG rated Bing Crosby Production (BCP). The cast is great: Stella Stevens, Roddy McDowell, Elsa Lanchester, Victor Buono, Charles Fox.

The movie did hardly any business in 1973. BCP sold the movie to be tacked on to double bills. In 1976 it was paired with Grizzly! In the mid 80's it finally came to television on the Late Show, and then a year later to video.

It is out of print now, and very hard to see (cable TV has NOT embraced it). It is a cult movie waiting to be discovered. It is certainly weird enough!

I was lucky enough to see this movie in the theatre in 1973 when it was shown. Then I saw it on television in 1986 and recorded it, which now I am really glad I can watch when I want to. But I can say this that Roddy MacDowell shines throughout this movie as does Stella Stevens. Norman Stewart as Arnold was really great, how'd he keep his eyes open all the time like that ? Jamie Farr's performance as the silent oriential servant was hilarious ! Let's say he lost his head over the serving part (ha, ha).

Elsa Lancaster was excellent as Arnold's sister, who get's all the solitude she needs at the climatic end. Bernard Fox as the bumbling policeman kept you wondering if he'd ever keep that bicycle standing up ever. I give it a 10 on the scale of rating because as a child I remember how scared I was when I left, seeing a nervous eye looking out of Arnold's picture every-so-often. Watch it if you can see it on TV again.

I really like this movie for a number of reasons.

First it delivers the shocks and the laughs almost at the same time.

It does not pretend to be high art.

This movie is fun in a lot of ways. If you have not seen it, you know right at the start that the greedy bunch of relatives and hangers on are going to be dispatched one by one. Part of the fun is guessing who is going to be next on the list. Stella Stevens has seldom looked better than she does in this movie. She has a terrific body and that alone is worth the price of admission. But there's so much more. The cast is comprised of mostly character actors who have had some connection with the bizarre and macabre cinema before. Among the cast members are Victor Buono, Elsa Lanchester, Roddy McDowell, Jamie Farr, Farley Granger, John McGiver and Bernard Fox. Needless to say everybody in the cast gets what they so richly deserve. But the final supreme joke involving Bernard Fox and John McGiver is the topper!

This movie is one of the better "Ewwww...I would hate to be them" type movies. It was way before its time. Roddy McDowall is so cocky and nasty in the movie that you know his time is going to come, and when it does-- it's a real headache!

After seeing this movie at such a young age, I was afraid to dress in any sort of Halloween mask-- fearing that I would end up like poor Robert (Roddy McDowall). Way cool!

The ways everyone bites the dust is very inventive. An excellent cast with an excellent plot. Kind of like TEN LITTLE INDIANS meets SAW. I wish I could find it on DVD!

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by George Fenady; produced by Andrew J. Fenady for Cinerama Releasing. Screenplay by Jameson Brewer and John Fenton Murray; photography by William Jurgenson; edited by Melvin Shapiro; assistant director: Daniel McCauley. Starring Stella Stevens, Roddy McDowall, Elsa Lanchester, Shani Wallis, Farley Granger, Victor Buono, Bernard Fox, John McGiver, Patrick Knowles, Jamie Farr, Norman Stuart, Ben Wright and Wanda Bailey. Original title was: "Family Plot".

Ridiculously TV-oriented in its pablum script and direction with bland TV lighting to boot. This great step backward in ultra-phony, sloppy studio anti-realism takes off on horror/mysteries of "The Old Dark House" genre with insipid, tedious attempts at humor -for one of the most embarrassing of the modern horror films. Especially for its fine (on paper) walk-through cast.