Just to be clear, And Then There Were None is not a slasher movie, at least not in this interpretation of the story. It is a well-known murder mystery that uses elements that later become tropes in slashers and other horror movies. The aspects of the story that are most interesting to me in the context of slashers are the killer, his motivation, and the location, but we’ll get to that.
- Directed by René Clair
- Written by Agatha Christie, Dudley Nichols
- Starring Barry Fitzgerald, Louis Hayward, June Duprez
First, Some History
And Then There Were None is one of the more adapted Agatha Christie stories. There are multiple versions across different mediums, languages, and cultures, including Indian and Tamil. Some are direct adaptations. Others like Remy Harlin’s Mindhunters or 2003’s Identity starring the amazing Pruitt Taylor Vince, take inspiration from the story but use it more as a jumping off point.
There is also a 1943 stage adaptation of the story written by Christie. The producers and Christie felt that the audiences at the time would prefer a more optimistic ending. She rewrote some of the characters’ backstories and altered the ending to make the experience more palatable to theatre goers.
The 1945 film follows the stage adaptation rather than the novel. Perhaps the events of the time led producers to favor the lighter ending. The tonal shift does seem to affect the entire movie as it takes on a humorous tone at times. Upbeat music plays while the men spy on each other, and the entire intro is lighthearted and comedic, not one that establishes horror or tension. Certainly not one that indicates that multiple people are about to die horribly.
Recap and Review Spoilers Ahead:
Ten strangers have been invited to a weekend on an island by their mysterious host Mr. Owen. Some have come through a friend’s invitation. Others, like Secretary Vera Claythorn, or Dr. Armstrong, have been hired.
The rest of the group consists of Prince Nikita, General Mandrake, Emily Brent, Judge Quinncannon, Phillip Lombard, Retired Inspector Willam Blore, and the butler and cook, Thomas and Ethel Rogers.
Upon arriving at the large and empty house, the group is wary of each other, but not immediately suspicious.
Blore immediately notices that the monogram on Lombard’s luggage doesn’t match his name. Lombard gives him a smooth reply and brushes him off. The Judge and Doctor have an interesting conversation where they question how deeply each other believes in the work they do. It’s all very friendly though – until after dinner.
Ten Indian statues are on the dining room table. Vera introduces us to the children’s rhyme that will be the blueprint for the murders. This is expressed as a song.
Ten Little Indians:
Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Indian boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Indian boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Indian boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two Little Indian boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Indian boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.
As they relax in the drawing room, a record plays listing their crimes; they are all guilty of murder in one form or another, including the Rogers.In the aftermath, they all discover none of them know their host, U.N. Owen.
One Choked Himself
The prince admits that he is guilty of the crime he was accused of: killing two people while driving. After learning that they are stuck on the island until the next boat comes on Monday, he drinks a toast to crime, then drops dead from poison. The first Indian statue on the dining room table has been broken.
Mrs. Rogers is hysterical, so the doctor gives her something to help her sleep.
One Overslept
At breakfast, there are eight figures. Dr. Armstrong reports that Mrs. Rogers has died in her sleep. The judge and Vera start to connect the poem and the deaths, realizing that they are caught up in some master plan. At this point, they believe that Owen is hiding on the island. They arm themselves with household items and begin the search. The search comes up empty as a storm rolls in.
One Said He’d Stay
As dinner starts, they notice another broken statue – the General has been killed. With the search turning up no hiding places or extra people the judge suggests that Mr. Owen must be one of the invited guests.
The group discusses how everyone is a suspect, although the doctor wants to rule out the butler due to the shape of his head. Phillip and Vera discuss who they suspect. She thinks it’s the doctor, he thinks it’s the judge.
A group vote results in Thomas getting two votes for lead suspect. He is greatly offended.
Afterwards, the members are deeply uncomfortable with each other. The group sends Thomas out to sleep in the woodshed. They take great pains to lock up the house and rooms. Tonally, none of this reads as overly serious, mostly due to the amazing acting from Richard Haydn. His stuffy butler adds the right amount of levity.
One Chopped Himself in Halves
The next morning, Miss Brent gets up and takes a walk on the beach. The men head out to investigate a loud, repeated banging that turns out to be the door to the woodshed. This is one of the doors that should have been locked. Only it’s open, and Thomas has been killed with an axe. Despite all the locked doors, the next Indian statue is missing.
A Bumblebee Stung One
Vera talks to Miss Brent, and she freely admits her role in her crime. Her nephew killed himself after she had him placed in a reformatory, but she has no guilt about it. Her lack of remorse and zeal for justice make her the next prime suspect. But when they go to question her, she’s already dead. It was poison dressed up to look like a bee sting in order to fit the poem.
Now completely unraveling, the group is becoming completely paranoid and suspicious of each other. At dinner, the judge confesses his crime. The doctor also confesses; he operated while drunk. Blore gave false testimony that led to a man dying in prison, and Phillip, in very careful wording, states Lombard was guilty of his crime. Before she can confess anything, Vera leaves to get her coat. While upstairs, she screams.
One Got In Chancery
The men go to check on her only to find seaweed hanging from her light to scare her. When they return to the dining room. The judge has been shot through the head, the doctor confirms it.
The doctor, following the plan the judge laid out before his death, forces Vera to admit that she did not kill her sister’s finance. This causes the men to believe that she is the killer.
A Big Bear Hugged One
They lock her in her room for the night. But Lombard sneaks out to her balcony to watch over her. Just as she isn’t a murderer, he also has a secret; turns out that Phillip Lombard isn’t Lombard after all. Before he can say more, they hear someone moving around. As they investigate, Blore gets killed by a statue crushing him.
A Red Herring Swallowed One
They see someone on the beach, only to discover the doctor has been dead for hours and washed up on the shore, leaving just Vera and Lombard. He finally reveals his identity: he’s Charles Morley, close friend of Phillip. Lombard killed himself when he got the letter from Mr. Owen, and Martin came to find out why.
Morley has Vera shoot at him, then return to the house to face Mr. Owen: The judge, who is waiting with a noose for Vera to hang herself. This island was his plan for perfect justice. With Vera as the only survivor, she would be accused of the murders. The judge is dying, and this is his last hurrah. Except, Morley is still alive and can verify her story. He reveals himself after the judge finishes his poisoned last drink, denying him his perfect ending.
Charles and Vera escape together on the boat and probably live happily ever after.
And then there were none.
Why is it a slasher:
It’s not. But it does have some great slasher elements that other later movies use to great advantage.
The Killer:
The judge pursuing his own twisted need for justice is something that comes up a lot in slashers. It’s a fairly common motive for killers even though t’s often filtered through the lens of revenge. Here the judge is looking for the art of perfect justice. It’s a nice twist on the motive. He’s not personally impacted by any of these crimes, he’s about justice for the sake of it. It makes him being denied his perfect art all the more satisfying.
The Location
The victims are lured out to a remote mansion on an island only accessible by boat every three days. The coast of the island is lined with rough seas and rocky shores, and they’ve all been brought there under false pretenses. We will see this set up a lot as we get more familiar with the genre. A great example of this is I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. Not a good movie, per say, but a fantastic location and set up. The characters are lured to the remote getaway under equally false pretenses.
Isolation is a huge part of horror, and even more important in slasher movies.
The Kills:
The judge stages his kills to match the poem “Ten Little Indians”. Some of the deaths are more literal than others but they all fit, more or less. There are a lot of ways to kill people in horror movies. Some killers prefer methods that target the victims’ guilt or sins, or reveal something about the killer. We’re not given any real reason why the judge chose this rhyme, at least in this version. The kills are creative and playful in a twisted way. It’s one of the stronger slasher elements, despite not having visible gore.
Final Thoughts:
It’s easy to see why And Then There Were None has so many adaptations, iterations, and remakes. Punishing the guilty through childhood rhymes is such a captivating concept, and the many unique ways that one can interpret the poem and translate the deaths into murders presents a creative challenge. I’d love to see a proper slasher version of this one, maybe from Radio Silence?
And Then There Were None is available on streaming:
Check out my other slasher reviews here:
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