My thoughts on Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

You know which movie is really scary (but really funny at the same time)? Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). Now, I've seen this film a few times before, so when I sat down to watch it again yesterday, I knew what I was in for. It's not as if I didn't know what was coming y'know? But I still jumped out of my seat when Johnathan (played by the very creepy Raymond Massey) burst through the window curtains, directly over the aunties' coffin-like window seat. Yikes!

It's fairly unlikely that any horror film could scare me (because, if I'm honest, I don't typically watch horror films because I'm a huge scaredy-cat!), but this one, which is billed as a comedy of all things, certainly did the trick. It keeps me on-edge and frightens me, oh, about every five minutes on average.

Something else that I noticed about this film is the great shadow work that was filmed by cinematographer Sol Polito - there is A LOT of darkness in this movie (literally and figuratively speaking) and I really enjoyed all of the lighting effects. It certainly lent an edge to an otherwise comedic Cary Grant film.

I think I'll give it another run-through tonight since I enjoy watching this film so much (apart from the couple of times I want to reach through the monitor and slap Massey upside his scarred head)! It's definitely one of those films that I can watch over and over again without ever tiring of it. Before I go, I must just give a shout-out to actress Pricilla Lane who played Grant's wife in the film (Elaine Harper) -- she was absolutely fantastic in this and really lent an air of innocence to the picture amidst all the evil and chaos. This is the only film of hers that I've seen and I'd love to see her in something else.

Note to self: look up more Pricilla Lane films.

And with that, I bid you adieu. CHAAAAAARRRRRRRRGE!