Miss Scarlet is coming back to the scene of the crime. Lesley Ann Warren, who played the sultry suspect in the 1985 murder-mystery comedy Clue, is set to host a screening of the cult film at Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, located at 18111 Lexington Blvd. The screening brings the board-game-inspired whodunit back to the big screen for Houston-area fans decades after its original release.
The event is billed as “CLUE: The Movie – A Screening To Die For!” hosted by Warren, according to ATG Tickets’ official box office, though that March 7, 2027 date comes from a preliminary listing. As CultureMap Houston notes, the screening features the cult film Clue, based on the popular board game of the same name.
A Dinner Party Gone Deadly
Clue is based on the world-famous board game, according to Paramount Pictures, which frames the film’s central mystery with a now-iconic tease: “Was it Colonel Mustard in the study with a gun? Miss Scarlet in the billiard room with the rope? Or was it Wadsworth the butler?” Per the event listing, the story begins with a dinner party hosted by Mr. Boddy, played by Lee Ving, who admits to blackmailing his visitors before he is murdered during the gathering.
The guests left behind, including Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan), Mr. Green (Michael McKean), Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn) and Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), all become suspects as they try to determine who the killer is. Warren herself played Miss Scarlet in the film, a role that has become one of her most recognizable, according to the same event listing.
From Box-Office Disappointment to Cult Favorite
Clue’s path to beloved status wasn’t instant. The film earned just over $14 million during its original theatrical run after opening in December 1985, according to Forbes. Forbes reports the film was directed by Jonathan Lynn, who co-wrote it with John Landis and Anthony E. Pratt.
The movie eventually built a cult following thanks to television airings, home video and streaming access, per the same Forbes report. Vulture adds that streaming in particular introduced Clue to “a new class of fans” long after its theatrical debut, and notes the film’s ensemble cast — including Tim Curry alongside Mull, McKean, Brennan and Kahn — helped cement its lasting appeal. Vulture also points out one of the quirks that has kept fans talking for decades: Clue has three separate endings.
A Cast Bonded By Months on Set
The film’s tight-knit cast reportedly spent three and a half months filming together, a stretch Warren has described as formative for the ensemble, according to Vulture. That camaraderie has carried into Warren’s continued appearances at Clue screenings in the years since, including a stop at the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood on April 18, 2024, where she spoke on stage following a showing of the film, per Forbes.
Sugar Land audiences will get their own chance to revisit the mansion mystery with Warren on hand as host. As with any live event, per the official listing, attendees should check with the venue to confirm the screening is taking place as scheduled, since events are subject to change due to weather or other concerns.
