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Arsenic and Old Lace Movie Review

Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 black comedy film directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant and Peter Lorre among others. It’s a crazy movie.

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“Look at that puss.

He looks like Boris Karloff“

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Grant plays a nephew who discovers that his seemingly sweet old aunts have a habit of killing older men by poisoning them. Utter mayhem quickly ensues. Frank Capra usually directed moving, humanist dramas or romantic comedies, so this full-on comedy was rare for him. This is by far his most idiosyncratic picture, and although it’s far from his best, it has to be respected for its immense originality.

I am a fan of black comedies and here that dark humor was so amusing, especially when it revolved around the aunts. Their apparent sweetness and innocence countered with murdering instincts “for the greater good” made them truly hilarious. Never have I seen similar characters in a movie before. They are almost like witches in their “potion brewing” basically, but are also reminiscent of the hopping, joyous fairies from ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

They are by far the comedic highlights of the entire movie, but others fare pretty well too. Raymond Massey is unforgettable as this incredible Boris Karloff look-alike. The two actors are so similar to each other that I’d honestly thought that I had been watching Karloff in this movie. His anger at those comparisons was particularly funny.

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Peter Lorre is also surprisingly memorable in a different role for him. He isn’t a villain, but an unwilling henchman in the killing sprays of the above madman, and his conflicting nature was quite well explored. Their dynamic was infectiously fun and deliciously dark for sure. The various police officers and their stupidity were also quite amusing as was their obsession with plays and that aspiring artists angle was unexpected and strangely ridiculous.

I am a huge fan of Cary Grant, but even I have to admit that this simply wasn’t one of his great performances. The role is terrific, but the acting was not. At first I found his reactions to the realization that his aunts are murderers funny, but as the movie went along, he became more and more over-the-top to the point of becoming way too insane and theatrical. He simply overplayed this role, which was unfortunate, but his immense charm remains ever present.

Arsenic and Old Lace is very well shot with the noirish atmosphere benefiting those horror scenes quite a bit, but overall the horror elements should have been more prominent. I would have liked to have seen a full horror comedy approach instead of this half-baked approach at a black comedy with just a bit of horror thrown in there.

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Most of the actors were terrific here, the direction from Capra is strong and the movie’s chaotic nature worked in its favor as that third act, though loud and over-the-top, was still highly memorable and quite funny. The dialogue is simply exceptional and the macabre elements were uniformly amazing. I just wish the film was subtler in certain elements, The girlfriend character also did not quite work and the movie has too many characters at the end of the day. But for everybody looking for something different, this is it. It’s one of the most unique 40s pictures without any doubt.

Although Arsenic and Old Lace is a bit too chaotic in its third act and Cary Grant’s performance here is one of his weaker as he undoubtedly overplayed his role, the originality to this 40s picture is undeniable, especially as it regards the fresh, fun and crazy macabre angle. The aunts were simply hilarious, Peter Lorre was quite memorable and Raymond Massey’s resemblance to Boris Karloff was played for laughs beautifully. It’s a strange meta black comedy that doesn’t always work, but it’s an atmospheric, funny treat nonetheless.

My Rating – 4