Die! Hollywood Die! : The Last of Shelia

Listen up , y'all, this is how you make a great murder mystery movie:

•  Get into a time machine and bring yourself back to 1973.

• Make sure that your script was penned by two prolific  and talented homosexuals like, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and Mr. Broadway Musical (Stephen Sondheim).

• Sprinkle your cast with all sorts of interesting types - Raquel Welch (no talent but big boobs and a nice body), James Mason (for some legitimacy), Dyan Cannon (because no actress was ever more endearing in spite of herself, than the loony Ms. Cannon), James Coburn (because his mouth is both horrifying and mesmerizing ) and Richard Benjamin (because no one can wear pants that tight, or sport a mustache that intense unless his name was Freddy Mercury).

• Make your story a terrifically twisted cat and mouse head game that features a bunch of self involved Hollywood types.

• Set most of the action on a small luxury liner in the Mediterranean.

Shelia, (note the large "S" piece of jewelry for identification purposes)

 When gossip columnist, Shelia is killed by a hit and run driver on the streets of Bel Air, her grieving husband waits for a year to pass and then gathers several of his friends together on the anniversary of his wife's death for a fun filled week of "games" on his yacht, also named, "Shelia".    Turns out that hubby Clinton (Coburn) is a sadistic bastard who plan's on revealing who actually killed his wife - but wait - before the games even begin, one of the guests is almost killed, and then, the person we are led to believe is the prime suspect is murdered ... and that's when the real fun begins. 

Not a horror film by any means, The Last of Shelia is a well made, well thought out thriller that has enough twists and turns in it to merit its own street map.  Also, the dialouge is so witty and so clever, that the film begs several viewings  to take it all in (movie fans will love the constant film references, they are never ending).

So get thee to Netflix and try this one on for size - And let me know if you figured "who done it" before the film's ending, because I sure didn't !

Richard Benjamin and co-stars