for it ensues. Clifford stumbles to his feet, grabs the axe and swings it at Sidney. In that moment, the scene transitions to a stage version of itself, with actors before a full house. The on-stage struggle culminates with "Clifford" stabbing "Sidney" and both dying, leaving "Helga" victorious. The opening night audience erupts in thunderous applause, and at the back of the theatre stands an exultant Helga Ten Dorp, now the author of a hit Broadway play called Deathtrap. Cast Michael Caine as Sidney Bruhl Christopher Reeve as Clifford Anderson Dyan Cannon as Myra Bruhl Irene Worth as Helga Ten Dorp Henry Jones as Porter Milgrim Joe Silver as Seymour Starger Real-life film and theatre critics Stewart Klein, Jeffrey Lyons and Joel Siegel have cameo appearances as themselves. Reception Deathtrap has a positive rating of 72% at Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. Critic Roger Ebert gave it three stars, calling it "a comic study of ancient and honorable human defects, including greed, envy, lust, pride, avarice, sloth, and falsehood." Ebert, along with Janet Maslin, and Gary Arnold of The Washington Post noted the similarities to Caine's 1972 film Sleuth, and similarities have subsequently been noted by film historians. Cannon was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress for her performance. The kissing scene between Sidney and Clifford is not in the original play (although they are revealed to be lovers). In his book The Celluloid Closet, gay film historian Vito Russo reports that Reeve said that the kiss was booed by preview audiences in Denver, Colorado, and estimated that a Time magazine report of the kiss spoiled a key plot element and cost the film $10 million in ticket sales. (The film earned more than $19 million at the box office.) In his book Murder Most Queer (2014), Jordan Schildcrout describes attending a screening at which an audience member screamed, "Say it ain't so, Superman!" at the moment of the Caine–Reeve kiss. Home video release Deathtrap was released on Region 1 DVD on July 27, 1999. It was re-released on November 8, 2003, as half of a two-pack with the Henry Winkler/Michael Keaton buddy film Night Shift. Warner Home Video released Deathtrap on Blu-ray Disc on November 20, 2012, as part of the Warner Archive Collection. References External links Deathtrap on TCM 1980s black comedy films 1982 LGBT-related films 1980s