"What Do You Mean, Murder?" Clue and the Making of a Cult Classic by John Hatch Narrator: John Hatch
Published by Fayetteville Mafia Press on September 25, 2024
Source: Purchased
Genres: Non-fiction, Entertainment
Length: 8 hrs 53 mins
Pages: 254
Format: Audiobook
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When the film Clue came out in 1985, audiences were baffled. A movie based on a board game, with three different endings, and you had to pick which one to go see? Bad reviews compounded the problem, and instead of choosing one ending, most people stayed away entirely. Clue , outgrossed at the box office by films that had been released months earlier, quickly faded away.
When it unceremoniously premiered on Showtime a year after its theatrical debut, there was no sign it was destined for anything other than obscurity, another flop bound to be forgotten. Instead, Gen Xers and millennials, raised on pop culture and cable TV in an era long before the streaming wars, discovered this zany farce about a group of six strangers locked in a remote house with a killer.
The movie appealed to kids. The creepy mansion and eerie music contrasted with slapstick gags and double entendres, deflating the tension. Today, almost forty years later, Clue is the epitome of a cult classic, with midnight screenings, script readings for charity, cosplaying fans, and a stage play.
“What Do You Mean, Murder?” dives deep into the making of Clue and walks fans through the movie they know and love. From producer Debra Hill’s original idea of Detective Parker bumbling around a mansion to Carrie Fisher’s casting as Miss Scarlet, from Madeline Kahn’s iconic “flames” ad-lib to the legendary deleted fourth ending, it’s all here. With asides on fandom, Gen X nostalgia, and at how movies were made in the 1980s, the book offers plenty to chew on for die-hard buffs and casual fans alike.
I think “What Do You Mean, Murder?” appeals to a very specific audience, and I happen to fall there. Obviously, it’s for fans of the movie, Clue, but you need to also enjoy ridiculously detailed deep dives and trivia. I can see a segment of people who are fans of Clue and just don’t care about 90% of what’s in this book. But I thought it was fun.
The book is broken down into three sections, the first is about the pre-production process of getting the movie written, financed, and greenlit. We see the various writers and directors who were attached to the film over its years in production and how they ways they saw the movie varied. We also learn which actors were considered for which parts before the final cast was nailed down only shortly before the beginning of production. The second section is about the production of the movie, discussing various shots and edits. The author also talks about the set design and costume choices. The third section is the shortest. Clue was a flop in theaters, but as it premiered on cable tv and home video, more and more people saw it and loved it, making it the cult classic it is today.
I did make my husband watch the movie with me a few days after I finished the book. Am I the only one who has trouble staying awake through movies at home, even ones I really enjoy?
Reading this book contributed to these challenges: