Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Steve Pulaski The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case is another subversive Laurel and Hardy short because it takes the principles of horror and etches them into the structure and formula of comedy, using two of the biggest comedy stars at the time and giving them a truly unique piece of work to play with. The short opens with Laurel and Hardy sitting dockside, unemployed and waywardly fishing, when Hardy notices in the paper a man by the name of "Ebeneezer Laurel" has died and left a $3 million fortune to his heir. Despite Laurel not being able to recall any of his family members (or birthplace for that matter), the two venture to the late Laurel's mansion to hopefully claim such a lofty fortune that would result in the two never having to work again.At that point, the brazen comedy of the Laurel and Hardy short is just about over, with only sporadic one-liners interjecting themselves in to break the tension of the short. When Laurel and Hardy arrive at the mansion, they discover Laurel was murdered and that the entire family is reuniting to try and pinpoint who committed the crime. In the meantime, the mansion's eerie butler (Frank Austin) forces them to spend the night, where Laurel and Hardy are kept awake by frightening houseguests and startling portraits and statues plastered all over the home.Consider the scene where the mansion's butler informs Laurel and Hardy they'll be spending the night; notice the way he careens over edge of the door, with his elongated hand grabbing the side of the door panel while staring at both Laurel and Hardy. Before disappearing behind the wall, the man looks as if his teeth are escaping outside of his mouth, with the boys looking at the man in an understandably fearful way before he just leaves the frame entirely. It is one of the creepiest, most unsettling scenes in a black and white film that I have ever seen, especially in a comedy.Director James Parrott and writer H.M. Walker create an atmosphere for The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case, taking a lofty idea, filling it with dread and unpredictable circumstances, and splicing the tension with pleasant diversions in the form of comic genius from two men capable of delivering it and then some. The film works wonderfully on both horror and comedic levels, and provides for one of the most unique additions to the shorts of the 1930's that I have yet to see.Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Frank Austin. Directed by: James Parrott.

angus-lamont One of my favourite's of their shorts. I actually found this short pretty creepy not only as a 8 year old but still now at 16, like the scenes with the butler and the chair. The gags are pretty good as well like the bat under the sheets. The plot involves Stan and Ollie paying a visit to the home of Stan's distant relative; the great Ebenezeer Laurel to hear the reading of his will. What they don't realise is that the Ebenezeer was murdered. At the house L&H are forced to stay by a pretty grumpy detective as he suspects one of the relatives to be responsible and the plot carries on from that. Overall a great spoof on the 'old dark house' genre and definitely a must for not only L&H fans but of the classic horror/mystery genre.

Jackson Booth-Millard Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. Stan and Ollie are sleeping on the docks, when they read a newspaper article, saying that all heirs of Ebeneezer Laurel need to attend the will reading at Laurel Masion, concerning a $3,000,000 estate. All other Laurel relatives have been told by the Chief of Detectives (Fred Kelsey) that Ebeneezer Laurel did not die naturally, he was murdered, and he is sure that one of the relatives is responsible, so he orders they all stay in the mansion until one of them cracks. Soon enough, Stan and Ollie show up, and are taken to a bedroom by the sneaky Butler (Frank Austin), they are taken to the room where Ebeneezer was murdered, and everything is covered with white sheets, so you can expect a lot of scares as they keep mistaking the room as being haunted. Soon enough, you realise the Butler and Housekeeper (Dell Henderson, in drag) are the ones that killed Ebeneezer, and one by one, all the other Laurel's meet their fate with a trap door activated by lifting a study desk phone. In the end, when it looks like Ollie and Stan are about to meet their fate, it fates out to them squabbling on the dock, and falling over it into the water, so it was all a dream. Also starring Tiny Sandford as Policeman and Stanley Blystone as Detective. Filled with good slapstick and all classic comedy you want from a black and white film, at just over an hour, it is an enjoyable film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Worth watching!

Klutch If you love Laurel and Hardy, you'll like this! Not only is it witty, but clever as well. By this I mean to say the two silly boys show their cleverness in getting themselves out of some very witty situations. How did this pudgy-faced minstrel and his awkward looking partner ever become so popular anyway? Oh well, no matter. We shall continue to enjoy their outrageously hilarious short subjects for many more years to come. Don't miss this remarkable true story about two vagrant bums who dream up a scheme to murder their rich uncle Alfred in order to collect the insurance money. All this and more. It's an excellent film, and everyone ought to see it.