ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

tavm So 1940 wasn't only the year former Our Ganger Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison started playing Scruno in Monogram Pictures' East Side Kids movies, or that other former OG member Mary Kornman made her final picture for the same studio called On the Spot, it was also the year former OG director Robert F. McGowan made his final movies for the exact same studio. One of them was this one which starred Marcia Mae Jones-who previously appeared in McGowan's OG shorts Birthday Blues and Mush & Milk as well as with other former OG member Jackie Cooper in The Champ-and Jackie Moran. They are a couple of teens intent on getting an innocent man out of jail. McGowan provides some good humor as well as wonderful atmosphere concerning the title object which only appears near the end. So on that note, I recommend Haunted House. P.S. Another player familiar to OG fans is Clarence Wilson, who played a meanie in the series shorts, Shrimps for a Day and Little Sinner.

bensonmum2 By any standard I can think of, I cannot call Haunted House much more than a below average movie. First, there is no haunted house in Haunted House. Instead, there is a fairly normal house where a murder took place. Jimmie Atkins (Jackie Moran) and Millie Henshaw (Marcia Mae Jones) are convinced the wrong man has been convicted of the murder. The pair begin investigating, only to come up with a couple of false leads. Thanks to dumb luck, they conveniently find themselves in the right place at the right time and solve the crime.As a rule, I'm not a fan of calling a movie "outdated". I'd rather try to look at a film in the context of the time it was made. With Haunted House, it was probably outdated when it was made. Other movies made in 1940 like Rebecca, Foreign Correspondent, and His Girl Friday make Haunted House feel "old" in comparison. I usually go for these older mystery movies, but there's not a lot of mystery in this one. With only three or four characters, it's not hard to spot the one that did it. I much prefer the mystery in something like Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum - also made in 1940. The acting in Haunted House also leaves a lot to be desired. Jackie Moran overacts and overreacts in almost every scene he appears. The rest of the cast is just there and not really memorable - with Marcia Mae Jones being the one exception. And the comedy in Haunted House is anything but funny. The repeated jokes involving Moran's old beater of a car have all the subtlety of a Three Stooges poke in the eye. Overall, Haunted House may be harmless enough, but there are better ways to spend 67 minutes of your life. This one is almost instantly forgettable.

novastar_6 As a previous reviewer pointed out, don't let the title fool you. While this is a good movie, it contains no haunted house, but makes up for it with plenty of suspense. The title and a less than honest summary drew me into the movie, but I was not disappointed, in fact I'm upset that there aren't more great movies like this in circulation today.Jimi Atkins wants to be a reporter, but he isn't thrilled at the way the press is making his friend Olaf out to be a murderer, which he is on trial for. Jimi's about the only person in the town that knows Olaf is innocent, but with all the evidence against him, has little luck in convincing anybody. Then a ray of hope enters when his employer's niece, Mildred, arrives for the summer. After hearing Jimi's stories of Olaf, and seeing him at the courthouse she decides he can't be a murderer after being so nice, and besides that, 'he doesn't look like a murderer'. So now Jimi and Mildred are eager to get on the trail of the real murderer, though in their detection, twice they seem to strike out in finding the real murderer to clear Olaf's name, but they won't give up.They figure out the only place to find evidence that could clear Olaf and lead them to the real killer is in the house of the murder victim, which seems to be inhabited by something or someone else. They find out who the real killer is, and are in a race to find the evidence to back up their story to the newspapers. An exciting murder/mystery that'll have you on the edge of your seat and cheering for the juvenile detectives. 10 out of 10.

dbborroughs This is the story of two kids who try to get their friend Olaf cleared of murder charges. Olaf worked for a rich old lady who turned up dead. Despite Olaf being a jovial guy he appears to be the only suspect and so was brought up on charges. Jimmy and Millie are the only two people who believe in their friends innocence and so begin to snoop around and find out that all is not as it seems.I somehow think this film seemed nostalgic even in 1940 when it came out. This is very much a period piece who's period has long gone. It seems aimed at the juvenile market than the adult market. The mystery, while strong is hampered by the gosh, gee attitude of the kids, who seem stuck somewhere around twelve despite being old enough to drive. The friction between the adult murder mystery and the childishness and imaginativeness of much of the proceedings make for an odd mix where everyone loses.I know that sounds like a stupid reason for not liking the movie, but if you saw the film you'd probably understand what I was getting at.This is one of those films that almost works but doesn't quite do so. By almost working it doesn't quite reach the level of watchablity and so falls into the pit of "why am I bothering". This isn't to say that the film is a total write off, its not (the mystery in a different frame work would be great), its just the whole thing doesn't quite work the way it should. If you run across it and are curious try it it may strike you differently,