Hillbillys in a Haunted House

In his day, Director Jean Yarborough worked with all the big names in bad movies (Abbott & Costello, The Bowery Boys, Rondo Hatton and Bela Lugosi.) He even did an unacknowledged adventure series with Mantan Moreland battling Nazis in the tropics (KING OF THE ZOMBIES, LAW OF THE JUNGLE.)Capping off his film career with the ignominious twilight of performers like Carradine, Rathbone and Chaney Jr. seems like a destiny chosen for him by the gods of the B-Movies. Is there something of Greek tragedy in this ending, or is it merely poetic justice? At any rate, it was good to see three actors who had all seen much better days putting in one more turn as despicable villains, and it was a fitting coda for a director whose career was always more remarkable for determination than artistry.

I love exploitation flicks, but this is the bottom of the barrel. This sequel to LAS VEGAS HILLBILLYS is trash of a new kind. No MUNSTERS or BEVERLY HILLBILLIES episode was ever this lame. Ferlin Husky is terrible and the guy who plays Jeepers is a complete idiot. Joi Lansing, although pretty with a great body, is a poor replacement for Mamie Van Doren in the first film, as Boots Malone.

I gave this a 2 instead of a 1 because of the title and John Carradine maintains his dignity (somehow). Basil Rathbone looks uncomfortable. Lon Chaney, Jr. looks to be in pain. Linda Ho is boring. Terrible music and creepy color. Best performance = Anatole the gorilla. LAS VEGAS HILLBILLYS was bad enough to be fun..but this one - sorry folks.

This movie is one of the worse movies I have ever watched!!! There isn't even anything "haunted" about this movie except maybe some fake hanging skeleton dangling on a wall. All the actors were terrible as well and to have brung some of the famous horror actors in this film is just giving them all bad credit. They must have been desperate and at the end of their career's to have been in this flop. There is nothing haunted about this movie except watching this film! This one deserves a 0!!

Frankenstein met the Wolfman, and they both met Abbott and Costello, so why shouldn't country music greats Ferlin Husky and Merle Haggard meet Basil Rathbone and Lon Chaney, Jr? No reason a'tall. I was hoping for a real hoedown here, even though I'm not sure what a hoedown is. Well, actually, a hoedown seems to be a "square dance." At least that's what the Merriam Webster link on my toolbar came up with, in which case a hoedown isn't what I was hoping for, after all. A Ferlin Husky-Lon Chaney, Jr. duet on a country classic, perhaps "Your Cheatin' Heart," or something else from the pen of Hank Williams, would have been nice, but, alas, it was not to be. As a result, "Hillbillies in a Haunted House" fails to live up to its considerable potential. I suppose that for Basil Rathbone, who would die in the year of this film's release, appearing in this movie is no worse than doing an infomercial for a Helsinki baldness cure, which is what aged, down on their luck actors seem to do these days, although it would have been nice to see the screen's greatest Sherlock Holmes go out with more style than is evident here.

It is easy to dismiss this movie as something that belongs on the bottom half of a double bill or late night television; but I happen to enjoy it. Lon Chaney, John Carradine and Basil Rathbone together again for the first time since THE BLACK SLEEP (1956) and on far more equal terms than they were in the earlier film. Okay so they leave no cliche untouched, from the Oriental "Dragon Lady" top spy to the gorilla in a cage but there are good moments in the film too. Just watch the scene where Lon Chaney takes the secret plans away from the traitorous government worker. Lon waits for just a heartbeat before turning back into the room, pulling his gun and declaring "If you'd betray your country you'd also betray us." and shoots the man dead. A great dramatic moment and not what you would expect from a musical comedy. Unfortunately the movie is very patronising of Southerners. Woody and Jeepers are your basic "scared of everything" backwoods boys. Boots (Joi Lansing) does not have a Southern drawl and at one point declares "Well I for one do not believe in ghosts." making her the most level headed one in the group. As for the music, there is plenty. All Boots has to do is say "Hey Woody, sing a song." for the plot to stop dead in its tracks so Ferlin Husky can warble another country tune. My biggest argument is that the movie goes on for another 20 minutes AFTER it should end! After the bad guys have been rounded up and the spies are in custody we get one whole REEL of country western singers performing their specialties at what is supposed to be a big Nashville Jamboree but looks like a high school auditorium. Granted this is probably the only chance many viewers will get to see old time singers like Molly Bee and Marcella Wright so just relax and enjoy the music.