Don Knotts stars as a newspaper typesetter with big dreams
of being a reporter. He runs an
unauthorized story about the local haunted house, which catches the eye of the
editor. He then gives Knotts a big
assignment: Spend one night in the house
to see if it’s indeed haunted. Knotts
takes the job and sees all kinds of supernatural shenanigans. He writes a front-page story about what he
witnessed and winds up being sued for libel by the owner of the house. It’s then up to Knotts to lead a judge and
jury through the house and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the place is
haunted.
The bare bones of a good kid-friendly horror comedy were
here. They just forgot to put actual
jokes in there. I guess your enjoyment
of the picture will depend on your tolerance of Knotts. While he was funny playing supporting
characters on The Andy Griffith Show and Three’s Company, he just doesn’t have
what it takes to be a leading man. His schtick
gets tiresome quick. I mean his bug-eyed antics wear thin in a half-hour
sitcom. A ninety-minute movie with him
front and center is just a recipe for disaster.
All the usual haunted house clichés are trotted out. Knotts finds a hidden staircase behind a
bookcase, sees a bleeding painting, and hears an organ that plays by itself. All of this isn’t remotely scary because it’s
aimed squarely at kids. However, I don’t
think kids would have the patience required to sit through the boring, unfunny
sequences that don’t revolve around the haunted house.
Fuck you. Mitch Lovell.
ReplyDelete