Opinion: Why Arsenic and Old Lace is a must watch during October

Read why I think that Arsenic and Old Lace is a must watch anytime in October! See if you agree with me.

A Touch of Fall

Arsenic and Old Lace is hands down one of my favorite movies. The dark comedy has been my favorite movie to watch in October for many years now. My parents would always rent it when I was a kid to watch on Halloween or even before the holiday. I recently watched it the first week of September to get in the fall mood.

Arsenic and Old Lace just screams autumn with its 17th-century graveyard filled leaves next to the Brewster sisters house and the movie does take place on Halloween. There is a scene where the siblings give out whole pumpkin pies to costumed kids and other tasty seasonal treats.

The Frank Capra film is based on the play by Joseph Kesselring, which was a Broadway hit. The movie adaptation was directed by Frank Capra and starred Cary Grant, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, Raymond Massey (Boris Karloff played Massey’s role in the Broadway version),  Peter Lorre, James Gleason, and Priscilla Lane.

The film is about Mortimer Brewster who gets married on Halloween day to Elaine Harper, even though that he feels marriage is a sham. After they get married they decide to go and pack for Niagara Falls.

Something about the Elderberry Wine

Well, things change after Mortimer goes and talks to his aunts, Abby and Martha before going on his honeymoon. He finds out that his aunts kill lonely old men by putting poison in their elderberry wine.

Things get worse for Mortimer when his brother Jonathan (who is a murderer) comes back to the family home with Dr. Einstein. Along with that is his other brother Teddy, who believes that he’s Theodore Roosevelt.

The moral of Arsenic and Old Lace is that the nicest people can have the darkest secrets. It’s also good to know your family history too.

The scene where Cary Grant is tied up and the police officer that comes over only cares about the new play that he’s working on still puts me in stitches.

I also love it because of the actors, everyone had such chemistry. There are plenty of reasons to go and watch it from its great acting to its spooky autumn atmosphere. The movie was just made for this time of the year.

If you want to laugh a lot and even feel nostalgia for years past, Arsenic and Old Lace is the perfect movie.

Are you a fan of Arsenic and Old Lace? Do you think that it’s the perfect autumn movie? Share your thoughts about this classic in the comments!