In the game of whodunit, laughs don't always come easy. The bodies pile up. Fingers point in all directions. The consequences get serious.

However, "Clue" sheds some comic relief on the theme. The 1985 movie is based on the Parker Brothers' classic board game by the same name and provides an entertaining depiction of the characters known for keeping everyone guessing.

Set in 1954, six strangers are invited to a dinner party at an old, eerie New England mansion under mysterious circumstances. It is not long before the eccentric characters shed light onto the dismal setting, making for a comedic portrayal of a dinner party gone deathly wrong.

Through the prying and direction of the butler, Wadsworth (Tim Curry), the diverse cast of characters realize that they all have a commonality: A link to Washington, D.C. and a personal secret each one holds that jeopardizes their current position with the government. Intricately and unknowingly connected, Wadsworth reveals they are all being blackmailed by the same person.

The supposed host of the night, Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving), soon joins the party. After Wadsworth unveils the host as the blackmailer, tensions rise and the plot thickens. Mr. Boddy is soon murdered. Or is he? His supposed murder is followed by others and the search for the killer begins.

Could it be Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn), the spookily solemn widow? Maybe it's Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), the uptight military man with many secrets to hide. Or perhaps Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan), the eccentric wife of a senator whose nervous behavior reeks of fear. Or could it just be Wadsworth, the conspirator of the whole night with motives of his own.

For each character, the idea of murder is advantageous, thus making it difficult to determine the murderer until the true identity is revealed. And since the complete resolution of a movie can be too overdone, three alternate endings are available. On the DVD, they can be programmed to be watched consecutively or randomly.

The murders in the movie should not be an indication of any fear factor. Rather, the scary antics are intentionally made laughable, most often with a punch line or corny sound effect. These entertaining punch lines provide many laughs and are great for reciting over and over with friends afterwards. Especially comical are the references to 1950s Communism, mainly because linking the game Clue and Communism together is an unexpected twist.

Don't let the cast of relative no-names deter you from this movie. The less-than superb acting only adds to the comedic effect.

If you are looking for a light-hearted murder mystery, check out "Clue." But be careful; you could be the next victim, falling prey to the addictive movie. The suspect? "Clue," on the futon, with the remote.