Clue (1985)

Set in a baroque country mansion in New England in 1954 and based on the 1949 Waddingtons board game Cluedo (published by Parker Brothers as ‘Clue’ in America), the film opens with a butler, Wadsworth (Tim Curry), checking that everything is prepared for guests who will soon be arriving.

First to show up is dim-witted blowhard Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), one of six people summoned to the mansion by a mysterious letter. He is followed shortly by the others; black-hearted serial widow Mrs White (Madeline Kahn), supercilious politician’s wife Mrs Peacock (Eileen Brennan), sexually ambiguous civil servant Mr Green (Michael McKean), lecherous psychiatrist Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd) and saucy Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren) – who adds to the suspense with a gravity-defying cleavage-enhancing strapless gown.

Once seated around the dinner table, the guests learn about each other, and it transpires that they are all connected to Washington DC in various ways.

A seventh guest ultimately shows up at the house, the none-too-subtly named Mr Boddy (Lee Ving), an obnoxious fellow who they discover is blackmailing each of them.

Boddy gives each of them gift-wrapped presents, which are revealed to match the six weapons from the original board game (knife, revolver, rope, lead piping etc).

The lights go out unexpectedly, there is a commotion, and when the lights come back on, Mr Boddy is lying dead on the carpet. Shortly thereafter, it is discovered that the cook has been stabbed to death in the kitchen . . .

Every weapon is used at some point in the six murders committed during the evening, and – true to the game – the large mansion has various rooms in which the murders are committed: the Library, Dining Room, Study, Conservatory, Kitchen, and so on.

Cleverly, Clue was released in the USA in three versions, each with a different ending. The separate endings were sent to different cinemas, leaving the ultimate solution to the whodunnit impishly elusive.

The script is tight enough to accommodate all three endings, keeping certain characters out of frame at the right moments so their whereabouts remain unclear during key murders.

Frustratingly, though, it transpired that none of the six suspects was, in fact, the killer.

It turned out it was an unknown extra party behind the dastardly deeds, so it had no impact when the culprit was revealed.

The character of Wadsworth the Butler was invented for the film.

Clue flopped spectacularly (returning $14.6 million from a $15 million budget), seemingly killing director Jonathan Lynn’s nascent Hollywood career. But over the following decades came an unexpected post-VHS life of cult appreciation: Rocky Horror-style cosplay screenings, unofficial stage adaptations, a fan-made “making of” documentary and even a mooted remake with Ryan Reynolds.

Mrs Peacock
Eileen Brennan
Wadsworth
Tim Curry
Mrs White
Madeline Kahn
Professor Plum
Christopher Lloyd
Mr Green
Michael McKean
Colonel Mustard
Martin Mull
Miss Scarlet
Lesley Ann Warren
Yvette
Colleen Camp
Mr Boddy
Lee Ving

Director
Jonathan Lynn

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