When you get married, you part of the vows includes “Until death do us part.” But what happens after death? The spouse that’s alive gets to go on with their life. They can remarry in a heartbeat. Must the dead spouse stay single in the grave? They say you can’t take it with you. But what if you’re rich enough that you can get mummified and don’t have to go anywhere? That’s what happens in Arnold, a film that has unfortunately become obscure after its release in the Fall of 1973.
One evening, Constable Hooke (Bewitched and Titanic‘s Bernard Fox) and grave digger Jonesy (The Sound of Music‘s Ben Wright) think they are witnessing the funeral of Lord Arnold Dwellyn (Norman Stuart). The casket is brought into the church to be placed upright and near Karen (The Silencer‘s Stella Stevens) in her bridal best. In a strange twist, the deceased is finally a free man since Lady Jocelyn Dwellyn (Oliver!‘s Shani Wallis) is now a widow. Arnold is using the occasion of his death to finally marry his girlfriend of the last few years since his wife doesn’t need to divorce him anymore. Before his death, Arnold made an audiotape of his side of the vows. The minister (King Tut from Batman’s Victor Buono isn’t sure if he’s conducting a wedding or funeral. After the wedding, the party goes back to Arnold’s mansion for a reading of his will which was tape recorded by Arnold. It’s not the most lavish of bounties for everyone. His sister Hester (The Bride of Frankenstein‘s Elsa Lanchester) gets looked after. His widow gets shafted while Karen gets the bulk of the estate on one stipulation: she must remain in the mansion. This does not please most of the people in the room including his younger brother Robert (Planet of the Apes‘ Roddy McDowall). The only person who doesn’t say anything is Dybbi (M*A*S*H*‘s Jamie Farr), Arnold’s silent Indian servant. After the reading of the will, weird things begin to happen the people Arnold left behind. Who is behind all this? Is it an upset heir or is Arnold getting revenge from beyond the grave.
Arnold is a fun horror comedy that keeps you guessing about who is causing the mayhem. I don’t want to hint and spoil your fun. The cast is having an enjoyable time except for Norman Stuart. This actor needs to be commended for being able to play a corpse so effectively. He nails this look that makes you think he’s in a better place. Stella Stevens sizzles on the screen as a woman married to a man without any body heat. She has the proper level of confusion for a woman who gets to marry her longtime lover under strange circumstances.
Arnold should get played on the same night as Bride of Frankenstein on a local TV station. Casual horror viewers must know that Elsa Lanchester didn’t vanish off the cinematic landscape after her shocking wedding ceremony with Boris Karloff. How has this not been played on MeTV’s Svengoolie? It has all the elements of a film that is thankfully getting resurrected by Vinegar Syndrome on Blu-ray. The dark humor comedy and the mystery of who is knocking off heirs goes down well. The special effects are right during the bizarre death scenes. It has the same vibes as a Dr. Phibes movie with Vincent Price. Arnold proves there’s a cost in marrying a corpse.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. They use a bit of fog in the graveyard scene so it’s not quite as sharp as expected until they get into the church for the wedding. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono.
Audio Commentary from Mike White, co-host of The Projection Booth Podcast gets into the colorful cast. This is almost a Love Boat level of stars of the ’60s and ’70s on the screen. We get a lot of Jamie Farr stories including how Malcolm McDowell taught him still photography on a previous shoot. He points out the film was put out by a small VHS label in 1985, but never was released on DVD.
The Gothic Horror Comedy In Hollywood (21:02) has Samm Deighan explore the subgenre of horror films involving a will and staying in a mansion that might be haunted. We get to see clips from one of the first of these films from the silent film era. Seven Keys to Baldpate.
You can order Arnold directly from Vinegar Syndrome to get it before Halloween.
Vinegar Syndrome presents Arnold. Directed by Georg Fenady. Screenplay by Jameson Brewer & John Fenton Murray. Starring Stella Stevens, Roddy McDowall, Elsa Lanchester, Shani Wallis, Farley Granger, Victor Buono, John McGiver, Bernard Fox, Patric Knowles & Jamie Farr. Running Time: 95 minutes. Rating: Rated PG. Release Date: October 31, 2023.
