The bank cashier and his band of counterfeiters have a strong reason for making people believe this house is haunted.
— intertitle
In this 1921 short, Buster Keaton plays a bank teller who is accused of passing counterfeit cash and attempted bank robbery. While fleeing the law, he stumbles across the real culprits' hideout, a phony haunted house. Hilarity Ensues.
This movie is available in its entirety at Google video.
"The Haunted House" provides examples of:
- Agony of the Feet: How the bank teller establishes that the satanic-looking gent is not the Devil. He stomps on the Devil's foot, and when he reacts in pain, the teller confirms that it's a mortal man.
- Bank Robbery: Some men attempt to rob the bank at gunpoint, but Keaton takes their guns and scares them away.
- Bavarian Fire Drill: The teller starts blowing a whistle and directing the "ghosts" like a traffic cop — and they obey.
- Bedsheet Ghost: The gang of counterfeiters use this disguise to make outsiders think the house is haunted, to scare away any snoopers.
- Clear My Name: Keaton is mistaken for a crook, partly due to one of the real crooks trying to pin suspicion upon him. Keaton runs from the police, and eventually clears his name by helping to capture the real crooks.
- Counterfeit Cash: The haunted house is hideout for a gang of counterfeiters. At least one of them works at the bank, and the bank president realizes that someone has been mixing counterfeit money in with the real stuff.
- Devil's Pitchfork: While Keaton is unconscious, he has a dream that he descends to Hell and is poked in the rear by a devil with a fiery pitchfork.
- Dressing as the Enemy: After Keaton realizes the ghosts are phony, he dresses in a white sheet and blends in with the crooks.
- Establishing Character Moment: As soon as we see Buster Keaton, he immediately falls down as he is exiting an automobile. This establishes him as The Klutz.
- Frame-Up: The leader of the counterfeiters deflects blame onto Keaton, who is then pursued by the authorities.
- Improvised Weapon: Keaton uses a vase to knock out one of the crooks, then steals his bed sheet disguise.
- The Klutz: Buster Keaton performs his usual schtick as a clumsy fool. Among other follies, his carelessness has him accidentally spilling glue around his workplace, making a huge mess.
- Le Parkour: Motivated by terror, the teller performs some impressive climbing and vaulting.
- Mugged for Disguise: Keaton uses a vase to knock out one of the crooks, then strips him of his bed sheet disguise in order to infiltrate the outlaw gang.
- Near-Death Experience: Keaton is knocked unconscious by the gang's leader, then as he is lying on the floor he has a vision of Heaven and Hell.
- Plucky Girl: The bank president's daughter tracks the chief villain to his lair.
- Produce Pelting: During an opera performance of Faust, the displeased audience throws produce at the performers.
- "Scooby-Doo" Hoax: Employed by the counterfeiters to protect their hideout. They dress as Bed Sheet Ghosts and skeletons to trick the locals into thinking the house is haunted, so the locals will stay away from their hideout.
- Stairway to Heaven: While Keaton is knocked unconscious, he has a dream where he climbs a long stairway to the gate of Heaven.
- Sticky Situation: The bank teller carelessly spreads glue on the bank notes and all around his workplace. The bank notes get stuck on the hands of several customers, and the whole mess is difficult to tidy up.
- Surprise Slide Staircase: The outlaws have a switch rigged to a staircase to transform it into a slide. Keaton falls down the slide several times.
- The Stoic: Buster Keaton shows his usual expressionless face throughout the film, a staple of his performances. Even though his character finds himself chased by police, surrounded by ghosts, held at gunpoint, or faced with the Devil, his face shows very little emotion.
- Trap Door: Inside the haunted house, there is at least one trap door in the floor. The outlaws use it to capture the bank president's daughter.
