Murder by Death
Movie • 1976 • 94 min
PG
"By the time the world's greatest detectives figure out whodunnit... you could die laughing!"
Lionel Twain invites the world's five greatest detectives to a 'dinner and murder'. Included are a blind butler, a deaf-mute maid, screams, spinning rooms, secret passages, false identities and more plot turns and twists than are decently allowed.
What viewers say
Viewers who love Murder by Death call it a hilarious Neil Simon spoof of classic fictional detectives, with a star-studded cast, rapid-fire one-liners and a sly nod to what Clue later did. Alec Guinness as the hopeless blind butler and Peter Falk's hard-boiled detective get special praise. Criticisms are that the mystery itself is weak, the humor is hit and miss and can feel slow or flat to some, and one detective caricature now reads as dated and offensive.
Best for: Viewers who enjoy detective parodies and old-fashioned, joke-packed whodunits.
Summary of public viewer reviews, updated November 2026.
comedycrimemystery
📺 Where to Watch
🎬 Watch Trailer
Trailer hosted on YouTube. Click play to load.
🎭 Cast
Truman Capote as Lionel Twain
Alec Guinness as Butler Jamesir Bensonmum
Peter Sellers as Sidney Wang
David Niven as Dick Charleston
Maggie Smith as Dora Charleston
James Coco as Milo Perrier
Peter Falk as Sam Diamond
Eileen Brennan as Tess Skeffington