Ask any hearse enthusiast if they’ve seen the 1971 cult classic “Harold and Maude” and they’ll probably tell you how many times they’ve watched it instead of giving you a simple “yes.” That’s because this movie did the same thing for hearse enthusiasts that “The Godfather” did for mob enthusiasts.
The movie focuses on a young man – Harold – who owns a 1959 Cadillac Superior funeral hearse. As a hobby, he enjoys staging mock-suicides. He does this so much that his mother doesn’t even get upset anymore except for the times when he makes a mess with his fake blood. He also enjoys attending the funerals of strangers. This is where he meets 80-year-old Maude – an energetic and impulsive senior citizen. They form a friendship where they both learn from each other.
After a long friendship, the two sleep together. Harold plans on asking Maude to marry him, but he finds out she swallowed a fatal dosage of pills on the day he planned on asking her. In case you haven’t seen it, this is where I’m going to stop the summary so I don’t ruin anything for you.
The film, directed by Hal Ashby, is #45 on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Year – 100 Laughs. It’s also one of the top 100 American comedies of all time on a list released in 2000. Also, after polling more than 1,500 film lovers, AFI named it as the #9 movie in the romantic comedy genre in June 2008.
So if you’re a hearse limousine enthusiast or if you just enjoy classic dark comedies and film history, check out Harold and Maude. It makes for a fun (and morbid) Friday night.
