Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
... and welcome to 'Day Five' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" where I aim to bring you another creepy cartoon classic from the plethora of spooky animated short films that have been released throughout the course of animation history - any of which can be streamed on TV via the magic of Roku media players - so let's dim down the lights, for some more fun & frights! :-O
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published five days ago, you'll know that I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every day. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my post from 'Day Four' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall that I made reference to a sequence involving "musical planks" in the 'Popeye' cartoon I shared. During this brief segment, just after the two-minute mark, a somewhat bemused (if slightly disgruntled) 'Popeye' can be heard to say: "Hey! What is this? A haunted house, or somethin', huh?" and, while in his case it turned out to be more of a "Ghost Ship" than a "Haunted House", by some strange coincidence the subject of today's post just happens to be a spooky short called "The Haunted House" from 1929:-
This creepy cartoon classic begins with a superb opening sequence in which, on a dark and stormy night, we see 'Mickey Mouse' battling the elements in an attempt to find shelter. Such is the ferocity of the storm that, when he does chance upon a dwelling, even the house can be seen to "flex" in the wind. Short on options... 'Mickey' is forced to seek refuge in this dilapidated old mansion but once inside, with the door mysteriously locked behind him, he soon realises the house is far from empty and that the (g)hosts are keen to be entertained by the new arrival. A cloaked skeleton, resembling the 'Grim Reaper', orders 'Mickey' to "Play!" for their amusement... while the other skeletons dance to the tune that 'Mickey' is playing on a harmonium and, such is their enjoyment of this spirited symphony, they do not want poor 'Mickey' to stop - seemingly content to have him play for all eternity. So, if you wish to know the outcome of this tale, you'll need to play, Play... PLAY the video shared below:-
Of course, in addition to watching this embedded version of the cartoon right here on this blog, you can also choose to stream it on your big screen television by using the "cast" function built-in to the 'YouTube' app(s) for mobile devices on both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms. For those who may have missed my special hallowe'en blogathon preview posted five days ago, to "cast" the video to your Roku player and/or NowTV device(s), you will first need to have the Roku channel (app) for 'YouTube' installed to act as a receiver for the stream you are casting. If you're not sure how to go about casting from your mobile device to your Roku there's a help article from 'Roku Support', which can be found on the official Roku website, that can walk you through the process step-by-step! ;-) :-D
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
Whichever platform you decide to watch this video on, watch-out for the beautifully-lit scene where 'Mickey' strikes a match to light his way in a dark corridor, as well as an excellent animated sequence where the cloaked 'Grim Reaper' figure slowly bears down upon 'Mickey' when he's got him cornered in a room and, with the audience sharing Mickey’s point-of-view (POV), slowly pulls back his hood to reveal a chattering skull: both of which are excellent examples of Ub Iwerks talent as an animator. Another tactic employed to great effect in this cartoon is the way 'Mickey' repeatedly looks towards "the camera" to gain sympathy from the viewer for his plight. In this way, we (the viewers) are drawn into the situation more fully... and begin to feel like we are actually "in" the haunted house with him. In this respect, the technique ensures that 'Mickey' carries the fear of the audience throughout. For a better idea of what I mean, here's some screen captures to illustrate the points that I have mentioned:-
Elsewhere in this animated short, the more astute among you may observe a few familiar frames that have been "borrowed" from elsewhere and simply recycled for the purposes of this animated short. If you happen to be an aficionado of either Ub Iwerks, or Walt Disney, then you will no doubt recognise parts of the "dancing" scenes were lifted from "Disney's Silly Symphonies: The Skeleton Dance" but such practices are fairly common when producing hand-drawn animated films with such regularity as they were in the days when this creepy cartoon classic was made. Incidentally, for the record, this was first released on 2nd December 1929 and has the honour of being the first "horror" cartoon to star the character of 'Mickey Mouse'... although he was soon to make further forays into the genre with 1930's "The Gorilla Mystery" and then "The Mad Doctor" (1933) a few years afterwards. While some may dismiss this work as just another song-and-dance routine, à la "Silly Symphonies" series plus similar early animations featuring 'Mickey Mouse', in my opinion this spooky animated short does manage to evoke some genuine feelings of "horror" - particularly during the earlier scenes - and, coupled with my previous observations, believe it's worthy of a place in anyone's Hallowe'en cartoon playlist! :-D
Unfortunately, posters for this creepy cartoon classic were a bit thin on the ground and the best I was able to come up with were two generic posters from the period... one of which does (at least) bear the title of this animated short, while the other could have been used to promote pretty much any title by the same studio featuring the 'Mickey Mouse' character. Anyway, for better or worse, here they are:-
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published five days ago, you'll know that I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every day. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my post from 'Day Four' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall that I made reference to a sequence involving "musical planks" in the 'Popeye' cartoon I shared. During this brief segment, just after the two-minute mark, a somewhat bemused (if slightly disgruntled) 'Popeye' can be heard to say: "Hey! What is this? A haunted house, or somethin', huh?" and, while in his case it turned out to be more of a "Ghost Ship" than a "Haunted House", by some strange coincidence the subject of today's post just happens to be a spooky short called "The Haunted House" from 1929:-
This creepy cartoon classic begins with a superb opening sequence in which, on a dark and stormy night, we see 'Mickey Mouse' battling the elements in an attempt to find shelter. Such is the ferocity of the storm that, when he does chance upon a dwelling, even the house can be seen to "flex" in the wind. Short on options... 'Mickey' is forced to seek refuge in this dilapidated old mansion but once inside, with the door mysteriously locked behind him, he soon realises the house is far from empty and that the (g)hosts are keen to be entertained by the new arrival. A cloaked skeleton, resembling the 'Grim Reaper', orders 'Mickey' to "Play!" for their amusement... while the other skeletons dance to the tune that 'Mickey' is playing on a harmonium and, such is their enjoyment of this spirited symphony, they do not want poor 'Mickey' to stop - seemingly content to have him play for all eternity. So, if you wish to know the outcome of this tale, you'll need to play, Play... PLAY the video shared below:-
Of course, in addition to watching this embedded version of the cartoon right here on this blog, you can also choose to stream it on your big screen television by using the "cast" function built-in to the 'YouTube' app(s) for mobile devices on both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms. For those who may have missed my special hallowe'en blogathon preview posted five days ago, to "cast" the video to your Roku player and/or NowTV device(s), you will first need to have the Roku channel (app) for 'YouTube' installed to act as a receiver for the stream you are casting. If you're not sure how to go about casting from your mobile device to your Roku there's a help article from 'Roku Support', which can be found on the official Roku website, that can walk you through the process step-by-step! ;-) :-D
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
Whichever platform you decide to watch this video on, watch-out for the beautifully-lit scene where 'Mickey' strikes a match to light his way in a dark corridor, as well as an excellent animated sequence where the cloaked 'Grim Reaper' figure slowly bears down upon 'Mickey' when he's got him cornered in a room and, with the audience sharing Mickey’s point-of-view (POV), slowly pulls back his hood to reveal a chattering skull: both of which are excellent examples of Ub Iwerks talent as an animator. Another tactic employed to great effect in this cartoon is the way 'Mickey' repeatedly looks towards "the camera" to gain sympathy from the viewer for his plight. In this way, we (the viewers) are drawn into the situation more fully... and begin to feel like we are actually "in" the haunted house with him. In this respect, the technique ensures that 'Mickey' carries the fear of the audience throughout. For a better idea of what I mean, here's some screen captures to illustrate the points that I have mentioned:-
Mickey Strikes A Match To Light-Up A Dark Corridor, Revealing The Phantom
The Hooded Figure Bears Down On Mickey, Now Cornered In A Room
When This Guy Says "Play!", You'd Better Go Ahead And PLAY!
Elsewhere in this animated short, the more astute among you may observe a few familiar frames that have been "borrowed" from elsewhere and simply recycled for the purposes of this animated short. If you happen to be an aficionado of either Ub Iwerks, or Walt Disney, then you will no doubt recognise parts of the "dancing" scenes were lifted from "Disney's Silly Symphonies: The Skeleton Dance" but such practices are fairly common when producing hand-drawn animated films with such regularity as they were in the days when this creepy cartoon classic was made. Incidentally, for the record, this was first released on 2nd December 1929 and has the honour of being the first "horror" cartoon to star the character of 'Mickey Mouse'... although he was soon to make further forays into the genre with 1930's "The Gorilla Mystery" and then "The Mad Doctor" (1933) a few years afterwards. While some may dismiss this work as just another song-and-dance routine, à la "Silly Symphonies" series plus similar early animations featuring 'Mickey Mouse', in my opinion this spooky animated short does manage to evoke some genuine feelings of "horror" - particularly during the earlier scenes - and, coupled with my previous observations, believe it's worthy of a place in anyone's Hallowe'en cartoon playlist! :-D
Unfortunately, posters for this creepy cartoon classic were a bit thin on the ground and the best I was able to come up with were two generic posters from the period... one of which does (at least) bear the title of this animated short, while the other could have been used to promote pretty much any title by the same studio featuring the 'Mickey Mouse' character. Anyway, for better or worse, here they are:-
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse in "Haunted House" (1929) [Generic Poster]
Celebrity Productions Present A Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoon [Generic Poster]
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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for my next creepy cartoon recommendation from the archives of animated film history, when I will suggest another spooky short for 'Day Six' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" you can stream right here on this blog - as well as through the equivalent channel on your Roku player(s). Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" website & show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by checking-out my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts each weekend where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a weekly basis (well, almost).
Until the next time, then...
That's all folks !!
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