(1973)
2
Craig Butler
Like The Trouble With Harry and Weekend at Bernie's, the title character in Arnold is a corpse. Like those two films, Arnold is also a dark comedy, but it is also a horror film of the same type that was made popular by The Abominable Doctor Phibes. Taking its cue from Phibes (as well as countless murder mysteries, such as Ten Little Indians), the main fun in Arnold comes from watching the demise of each member of the case -- and the manner in which they are killed. Even under the best circumstances, there's a limit to how much "fun" this kind of situation can invoke, and these are hardly the best circumstances. The humor is intentionally obvious, filled with "groaner" puns, and the entire film is something of a "camp" treat, especially given the cast. No one does his or her best work here, but all involved are at least in the proper spirit, and it's hard not to get caught up in that spirit -- but it's also not hard to "fall out of it" after 15 or 20 minutes. Undemanding in the extreme, Arnold is the perfect kind of movie when you feel like something a little ghoulish and a little amusing to half-watch while one is busy doing something else.
Arnold on AllMovie
Arnold (1973)
