As I’ve noted in other reviews like Jaws 2 and The Towering Inferno, it always seems dangerous to revisit flicks one liked as a kid. That concern became extreme in regard to those two flicks, as I maintain very positive memories of them.

The issue feels much smaller when it relates to 1976’s Murder By Death since I never place it on the same level as those two “classics-in-my-childhood-mind”. Still, I remembered Murder positively, so I ran the risk of disappointment with a new viewing.

Happily, my experience contradicted those fears. Murder By Death offers a witty and clever flick that becomes consistently enjoyable.

A spoof of classic murder mysteries, Murder follows a special weekend in which all of the world’s greatest detectives amass to solve a particular crime. Fey recluse Lionel Twain (Truman Capote) thinks he can top all of them, so he brings together a large crew to prove his supremacy.

This crew of invitees includes Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers) and his adopted son Willie (Richard Narita), Dick and Dora Charleston (David Niven and Maggie Smith), Milo Perrier (James Coco) with his chauffeur Marcel (James Cromwell), Sam Diamond (Peter Falk) and secretary Tess Skeffington (Eileen Brennan), and Miss Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) with her nurse Miss Withers (Estelle Winwood).

After a welcome from blind butler Bensonmum (Alec Guinness), the evening starts in earnest during dinner. There Twain sets up the theme and the events start to unfold.

Attempts to explain the plot to Murder can seem tough, as it follows little more than a loose mystery structure. It also would become impossible for me to describe the film without potential spoilers, as the script delights in absurd moments that lampoon traditional mysteries.

A familiarity with that genre will definitely allow Murder to become more enjoyable. I’m definitely not an expert on the form, but I came with enough knowledge to allow the film to make sense and to pick up on the inside gags.

In any case, the movie goes down a winding and almost nonsensical path that wraps up with the most confusing “solution” in history. I suppose it might make some sense if I thought about it really hard, but I doubt it, as I believe the conclusion intends to seem daft.

And goofy it is - delightfully so, as Murder provides a sly and wicked send-up of mysteries. Neil Simon’s script clearly takes glee in attacking the genre’s conventions and silly aspects.

Not that it delivers a mean-spirited piece, for as with the best parodies, Murder shows an affection for the source material that makes it all the more winning. At times the movie seems a little oriented toward potty humor, but Simon packs it with enough clever and witty zingers to become consistently entertaining.

The film also benefits from a fine roster of performers. Most of the principals offer solid turns, with Lanchester the only exception.

The former Bride of Frankenstein seems out of place among these superior talents, and her work feels somewhat forced and awkward. To be sure, I don’t think that Lanchester actively harms the movie, but she makes Marbles the least effective and interesting participant.

Sellers winds up as the best of the bunch, as he turns what could have been a silly stereotype into another winning portrayal. He delivers some inane lines with great timing and precision, and he works magic with the better material.

Falk also turns in a nice spoof of Humphrey Bogart. Brennan is a delight as Diamond’s long-deprived assistant.

I’m not a big fan of parodies, as too many go down unpleasant and witless paths such as Scary Movie. Happily, Murder By Death largely avoids those pitfalls as it offers a consistently funny and entertaining experience.

The movie packs a lot of cleverness and absurd glee into its running time. It proves to be a definite winner.

Murder By Death appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though it came with some anomalies, the image usually looked pretty good.

The main concern came from print flaws, as the movie manifested occasional specks. Though these didn’t become a major issue, they cropped up fairly persistently through the film.

Otherwise, I felt happy, as sharpness seemed positive. A few wider shots leaned a smidgen soft, but the majority of the flick appeared accurate and tight.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred. I saw no edge haloes and grain felt natural.

Colors went down a natural path and the disc represented them well. The hues seemed full and lively.

Blacks appeared deep and dense, while shadows offered appealing clarity. Outside of the source defects, I found a lot to like about the presentation.

In addition, the DTS-HD MA monaural mix of Death felt perfectly positive for its era. Dialogue sounded natural, as speech intelligible and without edginess or other issues.

Music and effects came across as acceptably clear. They lacked much range but they also didn’t suffer from distortion or other issues. Ultimately, this became a good soundtrack for mid-1970s character comedy.

How did the Blu-ray compare to the 2001 DVD? The lossless audio showed a bit more range, though the nature of the source limited improvements.

Visuals demonstrated more obvious growth, as the BD looked better defined and more vivid. The presence of sporadic print flaws disappointed, but otherwise I felt this turned into a clear upgrade.

A few extras appear, and these include a new audio commentary from film historian Lee Gambin. He presents a running, screen-specific look at story/characters/influences, genre domains, cast and crew, production details, and his thoughts about the film.

That latter topic makes the commentary erratic, mainly because Gambin devotes much of his discussion to praise for the movie. While he gives us enough info related to the flick to make the track worth a listen, I wish he’d toned down the happy talk and focused more on filmmaking notes.

Also found on the old DVD, a Conversation With Neil Simon runs 10 minutes, 20 seconds. We get notes from screenwriter Simon taped in 1999.

“Conversation” includes too many snippets from the film, but Simon manages to offer some good comments along the way. He relates his intentions for the piece as well as the challenges of writing for the screen instead of for the stage.

Simon also discusses the cast and his overall impressions of the film. It’s not a tremendous interview, but it’s decent enough.

In addition to the film’s trailer and a TV spot, we finish with a Photo Gallery that includes 91 screens of movie shots, ads and publicity materials. It delivers a good compilation.

Despite some elements that seem ‘less than PC’ in 2025, Murder By Death offers an entertaining spoof – and even those questionable components don’t really offend because they fit the satirical motif. With a great cast and a loose vibe, it becomes an amusing romp. The Blu-ray brings generally positive picture and audio along with a handful of supplements. After nearly 50 years, this remains an entertaining comedy.