Haunted Honeymoon (1986)

Gene Wilder was back at the triple threat in 1986. Writing, directing, and starring in Haunted Honeymoon with wife Gilda Radner and Dom DeLuise, Wilder was at his best. It's funny to watch interviews of Wilder during the filming of Haunted Honeymoon in which he expresses, with exasperation, that he is finished directing and wonders if all the work is worth it. This is funny because the film was his best, funniest, most coherent final product out of all of his directing projects. Much more under control, Haunted Honeymoon was the hilarious comedic masterpiece I always hoped Gene Wilder was capable of.Larry Abbot (Gene Wilder) and Vickie Pearle (Gilda Radner) are on top of the world as the stars of the hit radio program Manhattan Mystery Theater. The pair is also engaged to be married, adding to their overall joy about life. As the nuptials loom, Larry takes Vicki back to his Aunt Kate's (Dom DeLuise) castle that he grew up in. As his eccentric family members descend upon the castle, his Uncle decides Larry needs to be cured of his frequent bursts of fear. Larry's Uncle, Dr. Paul Abbot (Paul L. Smith) decides that the only way to cure Larry of his disposition is by scaring him to death. The family bands together by forming tricks and scares to spook Larry, all the while Aunt Kate is convinced that one of her family members has turned into a werewolf. Excusing her belief as thoughts from a senile woman, many nefarious instances are ignored and overlooked due to the family's scheme. Are all the instances the result of the lighthearted attempts of his family to cure Larry's fear, or is something more devious going on?The opening scene at the castle is a great precursor to what the audience is in for at the castle. This great scene, full of wonderful establishing shots of the exterior of the castle is followed by an equally great scene in which Larry and Vicki are seen performing their radio show and answering questions from reporters. The chemistry between Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner was as apparent as it was genuine as the real-life married couple played a doting couple that was to be wed. One of the things this film did the best was the sounds. Both the sound effects for the radio show seen on- screen and the sounds of horror reminiscent of the earliest days in the genre were extraordinary. The comedic writing was exceptional in this film and toned down enough to appreciate it, opposite of Wilder's earlier directorial efforts. There were some great gags in the film, my favorite being Wilder acting out the upper body while his butler acted the lower body in the basement scene being questioned by the police. Dom DeLuise was brilliant in this film as Aunt Kate and remains beautifully in character, playing a woman, through the entire film. This was the first time I had noticed him in a film before and was not disappointed. I wish there had been a bit more substance to the part of Gilda Radner, as I would have enjoyed more from her, but the film in all of its parts was wonderful. I am so thrilled that Wilder calmed down in the director's chair, as I believed he had potential in the role but was deeply disappointed by his previous attempts. The ensemble of friends was perfect for such a fun film. You really get the idea that the principles spent a lot of time together off-camera, which only added to the greatness we saw on-camera. It was also pretty magical to see Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner acting together as husband and wife to be. Their marriage, ending in the untimely death of Radner, was short so this memento of the film is a treasure for fans of both. Haunted Honeymoon would be the last film Wilder would direct, so, as the saying goes, he saved the best for last.

While enjoyable (if you haven't seen Young Frankenstein), it reuses a LOT of the gags from the earlier movie. I, having seen, and re-watched, YF a thousand times found it a humorous homage to the earlier movie... with some fascinating twists, but without too much to set it apart. Perhaps it would make a better sequel, but... alas, it is too late to go back and change time. Gene Wilder's character seems, at times, a mix of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory mixed with his YF character, in the same oddities and hair-trigger attitude, with gags from YF mixed in. The supporting cast were rather amusing in their antics, however, if in some cases rather forgettable. However, some managed to make themselves quite outstanding, such as the Butler, who was rather amusing with his interchange with the Maid. Jonathan Pryce, playing a cousin or some such (I just got done watching it and I can't recall the names, hrm) managed to play a hippy-esque man, which is actually quite amusing, especially since he was one of the potential villains and he pulled off the suspense quite well. Dom DeLuise was, as always, quite funny... if a little odd and fabulous.

This is a surprisingly well-made movie. It's funny, sure, but not in the punchliney way you'd expect. It's more that the whole thing is just so unexpected. Gene Wilder is completely charming and does some great understated acting in this film; Gilda Radner is funny everywhere she goes. Dom DeLouise pulls off a great drag character, and no one works too hard on their jokes--it's just a good time, filmed with surprising confidence. Though it looks like it's going to be another bad script with tired jokes for a niche videostore crowd, it's actually an extension of many of Mel Brooks' best directorial moments. It even has a Brooksian meta- narrative about film-making. I imagine it might look silly and dated on a TV screen with a movie channel logo in the corner, but when it's treated like a film instead of a schlock night, it's a respectable piece of work well worth anyone's time.

I enjoy Gene Wilder, and certainly I'll be the first to say that he has done some wonderful work both on screen and behind the scenes in many films. But he is also the frothy sort of artist who is at his best when firmly grounded by the restraint of a hardnosed director--and for HAUNTED HONEYMOON he had no such restraints. He was writer, director, and star, and the result is way too much froth and not nearly enough substance.The premise of the film is clever, a parody of the spooky-comedies of the 1940s and 1950s that were popularized by the likes of Red Skelton, Abbot and Costello, and Crosby and Hope. Two radio stars (Wilder and Radner) have become engaged and they rush off to the groom's ancestral home for the wedding... and promptly encounter everything from cobras in the closet to werewolves in the winecellar. And the script and production values are often quite amusing, with repeated references to James Whale's 1930s classic THE OLD DARK HOUSE, and even the score borrows a few phrases from "I've Written A Letter To Daddy" from WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? But the plot goes no where, and not even the stars of the film can save it.Which brings us to why the film is nonetheless worth watching. Wilder is excessive, to say the least, but his failings here are as director and writer; as a performer he manages quite well. And his co-star is the late and much missed Gilda Radner. Sadly, Radner never found her place on the big screen before her untimely death, and HAUNTED HONEYMOON is no exception; Wilder doesn't seem to know how best to display her talents. But even so, there are moments when she illuminates the film to a remarkable comic degree, giving the viewer a glimpse of what might have been if the role had been more carefully tailored to her talents. And then there is Dom DeLuise, who offers a hilarious throw-away performance in drag as Aunt Kate... And when Gilda and Dom join forces to perform the old Vaudeville song "Ballin' the Jack" the result is pure movie magic.Unfortunately, though, it isn't enough. The story is just too weak, too many of the one-liners fall flat, too often cast members who might have given great comic performances are neglected. I'll give it three stars... one each for Wilder, Radner, and DeLuise. But I'm erring on the generous side. Incidentally, this film is not to be confused with a Robert Young-Constance Cummings effort of the 1930s, also entitled HAUNTED HONEYMOON and based on the play and novel by mystery author Dorothy Sayers--a very good film, by the way, which sad to say has never been released to the home market.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer