The Haunted House (1921) Short Film
Buster is a bank clerk. Overturned glue gets everything, mostly the money, stuck to everything else. When robbers show up he can't "stick 'em up" because his hands are stuck in his pockets. The robbers' hideout is a haunted house designed to scare off police. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline
Written By: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline
Starring: Buster Keaton, Edward F. Cline, Joe Roberts, Virginia Fox
Country: USA
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The Haunted House belongs to 5 collections
1. Haunted House (collaborative: moderated by Moribunny - 4 stars)
2. Slapstick (collaborative)
3. Horror comedies (collaborative - 3 stars)
4. Masters of Cinema (collaborative: moderated by hristos - 6 stars)
5. Referenced by The Simpsons (collaborative: moderated by ReCreation07 - 2 stars)
Browse the full list of collections
| Date | User | Rating | |
| Apr 09 |  |
Icarus | 70 41st |
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Thrown off by the fact that the haunted house doesn't really come in until the final act. It doesn't help that the glue bit goes on way too long. However, once we get to the house, the action is funny, and the conclusion, while it doesn't really make sense, is quite cleverly done.
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| Mar 28 |  |
NathanBates | 60 34th |
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Not one of my favorites, but I chucked during a lot of the haunted house bits. Must have been a heck of an operation to have stooges able to walk back and forth through the hallways. This felt like it should be the opener for "A Matter of Life and Death" (named "Stairway to Heaven" in the US).
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| Feb 21, 2021 |  |
driscarpin | 82 70th |
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A casa maluca estreava há 100 anos nos EUA. Como usual, é muito divertido e nonsense, o toque maluco de Fausto, Margarida e Mefisto é brilhante. Box Obras-primas do cinema Buster Keaton.
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| May 06, 2020 |  |
AFlickering | 4 56th |
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unlike many i dug the glue bit, a nightmare (i legit have dreams like this) only made more stressful by its protraction, and the chaotic house sequence must've been a blast to make--highlights inc. some unsettling melies trickery and that traffic joke. it doesn't exactly cohere into a whole and some of the gags get repetitive, but like karamazov says the pleasure is in the many subtly surreal details, and the final dream sequence is a nice touch that would get imitated a bunch over the years.
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| Feb 12, 2020 |  |
closedmouth | 60 20th |
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Not a fan of glue-getting-on-everything gags, and the haunted house bits are real groaners. Buster's still fun to watch though, and the dream sequence is really cool.
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| Feb 05, 2019 |  |
hotsake | 65 61st |
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Some fun physical humor but for me the highlight was the bank robbers with glue packed money stuck to their hands.
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| Apr 03, 2017 |  |
karamazov. | 40 54th |
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Some beautiful details I love, like how he counts the stack of bills by ear rather than by sight/touch.
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| Jul 08, 2015 |  |
backwardsuit | 72 56th |
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Keaton is always funny but this one feels unfocussed and slow when compared to his better work.
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| Mar 04, 2015 |  |
TheDiceman | 60 62nd |
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Classic.
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| Aug 25, 2014 |  |
caiman | 83 72nd |
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I liked the sticky money bit, but I loved the haunted house bit. Even the predictable jokes (e.g. the staircase) were made funny by Keaton's hilarious physical brilliance. The slide to hell at the end was a nice little touch.
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| Jul 25, 2014 |  |
Heliophage | 52 71st |
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Simple and forgettable for Keaton, but there's some fun to be had. The glue routine that takes up most of the first half feels like pretty tired old business, but the second half is packed with so many lightweight gags that at least a few are bound to get a laugh. I'd probably score it lower if the last minute weren't so cute, though.
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| Jul 10, 2012 |  |
Mentaculus | 81 75th |
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This one is slow-going, but the gags/special effects are perfect, 100 years on.
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| Mar 11, 2012 |  |
Kadrian | 50 34th |
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This movie has its ups and downs. The haunted house was worth seeing but the rest was a yawner.
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| Nov 04, 2011 |  |
Luna6ix | 78 66th |
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the glue gag was good, but it overstayed it's welcome. other than that it's a pretty decent comedy that''s not over the top funny.
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| Apr 12, 2011 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 73 36th |
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Amusing, especially the second half in the house, but the first half was a little drawn out.
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| Jan 19, 2011 |  |
Alex Watkins | 3 38th |
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You could do worse but it's rather weak as Keaton goes. The haunted house bits are pretty good but rather obvious at times and the bank sequence is a snoozer.
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| Jan 03, 2011 |  |
Moribunny | 65 65th |
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The glue gag at the beginning says slapstick is a dated form of comedy, but as the film gains momentum and one over-the-top stunt follows another in a good pace owed to great editing, Keaton repeatedly surprises and proves to still be funny.
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| Jun 18, 2009 |  |
Nathan S | 2 21st |
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Somewhat unfocused, with a pretty thin thread tying the plot and jokes together. There are a few gags that are just driven into the ground, like the glue and the staircase. Keaton just isn't as creative as I've come to expect here, and it's not a terribly funny movie.
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| Jun 08, 2008 |  |
joseywales | 80 86th |
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After the tedious glue bit in the bank I was pretty much laughing out loud during the entire haunted house section. The "assembled man" trick shot is still incredible 80 years later.
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| Apr 29, 2008 |  |
Stain | 50 33rd |
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The usual
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| Average Percentile 53.99% from 243 Ratings |  |