Dark and Stormy Night

"''There's a reading of the will

on a dark and stormy niiiiiiiight.

Sure hope I don't get killed

on a dark and stormy niiiiiiiight.

I don't really know

who is friend or foooooooooooe

on a dark and stormy night.''"

- Some of the survivors, at the end of the movie.

Dark and Stormy Night is a 2009 movie by Larry Blamire of The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra fame. It is an homage to the Old Dark House movies of the 1930s, complete with Lampshade Hanging moments. It features a large cast of stereotypical characters at an Old Dark House for the reading of the will of Sinas Cavendar. Some are there to see what they got, and others are there by accident, or are they? During the reading, the lights go out and the lawyer reading the will is killed, leaving in doubt the possession of Sinas' estate. As the night progresses, more and more of the guests in the house are killed off by a mysterious murderer. Can the two ace reporters figure out who's doing it before they are the next victims?

Tread carefully, spoilers abound.

Not to be confused with It Was a Dark And Stormy Night.

This movie provides examples of:

 * Affectionate Parody
 * Bookcase Passage
 * The Butler Did It: Played with.
 * Dramatic Thunder: And lots of it.
 * Everythings Better With Monkeys: Kogar the gorilla.
 * French Maid: Jane wears a French Maid uniform, though it lacks any fanservice. And she has a cockney accent, rather than a french accent.
 * His Name Is: Inspector Riley's sole scene is arriving at the front door, stating that he knows who the murderer is and dying when the lights suddenly go out (again).
 * In the Hood: Both killers wear hooded robes.
 * Intrepid Reporter: Two of them, Billy Tuesday and 8 O'clock Farraday.
 * The Jeeves: Jeens.
 * Madwoman in The Attic: Thessaly,
 * Obfuscating Stupidity:
 * Old Dark House: That's the whole point of the movie.
 * Portrait Painting Peephole
 * Rich Bitch: Pristy.
 * Spooky Seance: It's really not very scary, though.
 * Upperclass Twit: Both Lord Partfine and Burling Famish Jr.
 * Upper Class Wit: Lord Partfine fancies himself one, but his attempts at "wit" fall short.
 * What the Hell Hero: The police admit that they knew what was going on, but they let everyone get murdered to solidify their case against the murderer. They don't get chewed out, per se but the reporters are rather bewildered that the cops would just let it happen.