The Clues in Clue

Ren Staff Reenacting Clue
Ren Staff Reenacting Clue

Was it Colonel Mustard? Did Miss Scarlett use the wrench? Or Professor Plum in the Library? It would seem everyone has played the famous board game Clue one time or another. I, for one, would always play as Colonel Mustard - a bit of nostalgia there for me (much like how I play two characters at once for Monopoly, but that's another story). However, not everyone has seen or even heard, of the movie based on this notorious board game under the same name released in December of 1985. So, here's a shortlist of the top behind-the-scenes clues of Clue (the movie).

  1. It was a Flop!
    The original showing of Clue did not do well in its initial release. Clue grossed only $3 million against a $15 million budget. Clue had a lot of competitors in the box office, though - Rocky IV, The Color Purple, Spies Like Us... you get the gist. However, with a (small) vocal fanbase, cable airings, and the development of home video, Clue became the phenomenon that it is today.
  2. Board to Screen
    Clue was the first board game to be placed on the big screen as a major motion picture. The next film to be based on a real board game (not Jumanji, sorry) would not come out for another 27 years - Battleship (2012).
  3. "Hill House"
    The mansion in which the plot of Clue takes place in the Movie is called "Hill House." This is in reference to the 1959 novel of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, as well as to the last name of the movie's producer, Debra Hill.
  4. Creative Details
    Ever wonder why many of the characters in the major motion film of Clue aren't wearing colors associated with their character's name? Why isn't Colonel Mustard in yellow? Or Mr. Green... well, in green? The answer is the detail was placed elsewhere. Look closely at the floor in the film - it matches that of the board game. And the character colors found on their playing pieces in the game? They can found at the beginning of the movie when each arrives - just check out the color of the cars! Not to mention, the secret passageways in the film that lead to each room are spot-on to the board game.
  5. Multiple Endings
    For everyone who has ever watched Clue, they know that there are several different endings. Three, to be exact (A, B, C endings is how they are referred to without spoilers). However, there are technically five. Ending "E", which was discarded by director Jonathan Lynn, has Tim Curry's character (butler Wadsworth) committing all the murders. The "D" ending is actually a real ending because it's registered as "those who didn't go see the movie" or "saw something else." To further the creatives that went into this movie, the three endings were spread out to different parts of the United States, so, for example, the East Coast saw a different ending than the West Coast. But the real question is... what ending is the Ren showing? Find out this Sunday at 3:00 pm, tickets are only $5!