The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

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If you're in the mood for some classic, clean humor from back in the day, you may wanna check out this film. Sometimes the crude humor I love so much just needs to take a back seat, so I decided to see this for myself, understanding that Don Knotts is capable of providing some nice, goofy humor instead.

As Luthor Heggs drives along during the opening credits, he appears to witness a murder taking place in front of the supposedly haunted Simmons mansion. He heads straight to the police station o report the crime in a pretty hilarious overexcited manner. Honestly, if there's a classic actor who does overexcited well, it's gotta be Knotts. He's like a big kid. Anyway, during this, the would-be victim comes in with his wife. It is revealed that it wasn't a murder so much as just an angry wife who popped him over the head out of anger. She arrived to jail her husband.

The next morning at his typesetting job, Luthor overhears his coworkers making fun of him. In an effort to increase the paper's sales, Luthor's coworkers get him to stay overnight at the Simmons mansion on the 20th anniversary of the murders that have taken place there in the past. Not to be bested by his asshole coworkers, Luthor goes for it. As one might imagine, the night doesn't go well for Luthor, and is chock full of classic spook house elements.

The film seems to mainly serve as a lovable loser story after this. As we route for Luthor, he has to face a whole bunch of skeptics who don't believe any of the experiences that Luthor had while he was in that house. He even brings people back to the house to prove himself, but the house goes Michigan J. Frog on him (goes silent and does nothing special).

It's got a lot of funny slapstick moments, and it's a lovely light comedy for those looking for a decent classic. Being that we're approaching Halloween, it can be seen as a fun thing to watch with the family for the occasion. It focuses far more on the comedy than it does the spook house stuff, but for 1966, it doesn't do a bad job at the horror/comedy elements at all when it gets the chance. What more can be said but "Atta boy, Luthor!" (a running gag throughout the film)

3/5

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