This 1978 movie adaptation of John Willard's 1922 play, about house guests and a deranged killer gathered in a mansion for a will reading, eventually finds its feet and for the last half at least becomes the comedy-thriller it wants to be (it wants to be a scene-by-scene remake of the 1939 movie - look at Michael Callan in the lead doing his best Bob Hope impersonation) but it is as though at the outset the makers were intending some kind of update - the opening shot suggests a psycho thriller and sets the wrong tone altogether and early scenes (the hi-tech announcement at the dinner party, for example) are humourless and go on forever - how many times do we need to see the home-help moving in and out of the old footage? - and weak performances - Edward Fox barely registers - and the 70s aesthetics further detract from the fun.
★★☆☆☆
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