The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

Director - Alan Rafkin (Coach)
Starring - Don Knotts (The Apple Dumpling Gang), Joan Staley (The Munsters), and Liam Redmond (Curse of the Demon)
Release Date - 1966
Genre - Comedy/Horror
Tagline - "You'll be scared until you laugh yourself silly"
Format - Streaming (Youtube)
Favorite Quote - "That's right, karate... made my whole body a weapon"

Rating (out of 5):

     Growing up I absolutely loved The Incredible Mr. Limpet.  That lead me to watch other Don Knotts films like The Apple Dumpling Gang, it's sequel, and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.  I loved them all, however, none stuck out like The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.  I rented it on VHS a few times but was never able to find it to purchase.  One day I was watching a few videos on youtube and decided to watch a few scenes from The Ghost and Mr. Chicken when I found that a large group of people have uploaded the movie in its entirety.  

      Luther Heggs (Knotts) is a typesetter at a local newspaper but aspires to be a reporter.  One evening while driving home he hears a woman screaming murder.  He slams on his brakes and runs to the woman with his camera.  She tells him that the man was hit on the head with a board and died.  He takes pictures and rushes to the police station.  While trying to convince everyone there, the murdered man wonders in escorted by his wife.  The man was drunk and she hit him with a board and was bringing him down to put him in the drunk tank.  Heggs is now a joke among the townspeople.  There is also another local legend surrounding the Simmons Mansion.  Mr. Simmons murdered his wife and then went to the top of the mansion and played the organ before jumping to his death.  People refer to the mansion as a "murder house."  That day at the office, Heggs is talking to the janitor, Mr. Kelsey, and discovers that he was once the groundskeeper of the Simmons Mansion.  Heggs is trying to brainstorm ideas on how he can climb the corporate ladder and make reporter.  Mr. Kelsey reminds Heggs that it is the 20th anniversary of the Simmons' murders and convinces him to write an article about it.  Meanwhile, Nicholas Simmons is in town trying to settle with the bank so he can level his uncle's estate.  That is put on hold when Heggs' article is a sensation with the locals.  The bank teller's wife is head of the local psychic and occult society and makes him hold off on settling the paperwork until Heggs spends the night in the mansion.  That night Heggs stays in the mansion and strange things start to happen.  At midnight the organ plays by itself and other strange things occur.  Heggs runs to the editor and they type up an article on his exploits in the mansion.  Heggs is now a hero among the locals and they even hold a festival for him.  However, not everyone is proud of Heggs.  Nicholas Simmons is pissed that Heggs has turned the home he wanted to demolish in to a local hotspot.  He then sues Heggs.  While in court Heggs tries to convince everyone of what he saw.  The judge is skeptical and takes the jury and Heggs back to the mansion where nothing out of the ordinary happens.  So the judge and jury leave and Heggs stays behind.  Once alone he hears the organ playing again and rushes to find out what is going on.  He finds Mr. Kelsey playing the organ and he confesses he had done it the night he stayed to help him with his article.  Nicholas Simmons is also in the mansion and it is revealed that Nicholas killed his uncle and aunt and tried to frame Mr. Kelsey for it.  Kelsey found his garden shears in the aunt's throat and was able to remove it and clean it up before the police arrived.  The pair, along with Heggs' love interest, are able to bring Nicholas down.

     This movie is hardly a horror movie at all but I have it listed as one due to the haunted house scene and the murders.  I really like this movie.  It is just good, innocent entertainment.  The story is simple and very effective.  The movie was made only to capitalize on the awkward comedy of Don Knotts.  I am completely fine with that.  The atmosphere is eerie and when in the mansion, the film feels just like the typical horror film of the time.  I really like that cliche haunted house feel when it is pulled off right.  I also loved the acting.  Don Knotts is one of my favorite comedic actors.  I would have loved to see him, Jim Varney, and Jim Carrey star in a film together.  The only fault to this film, to me anyway, is the pacing.  The film jumps from important scenes to pointless scenes with dialogue.  This is one of those movies I review to remind people of this amazing movie and not to actually go in depth with.  Overall, this is one of those movies that everyone must own.  If you don't have it then order it.