The Haunted House(1921)
1921 · Edward F. Cline & Buster Keaton · 19 min
A bank teller becomes involved with a hold-up, counterfeiters and a theatrical troupe posing as spooks in a haunted house.
Comedy · Horror
6.5150 votes
TMDB score
0/5
Intensity
0/5
Gore
0/5
Stays with you
How The Haunted House scares
The Haunted House is a silent comedy short that borrows spooky-house imagery purely for slapstick laughs, not scares. Fake ghosts, trick staircases, and tumbling actors drive the gags, with the plot revealing everything as human trickery rather than anything otherworldly. It moves fast and light, more interested in physical comedy and chase antics than in building any real tension. This one is for fans of old silent comedy or classic haunted-house spoofs, not for anyone looking for genuine fright.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, The Haunted House rates psychological 1/5, visceral 1/5, gore 0/5, lingering effect 0/5, and overall intensity 0/5.
- Psychological: 1 of 5
- Visceral: 1 of 5
- Gore: 0 of 5
- Lingering: 0 of 5
- Intensity: 0 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 30 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 85 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 5 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A light, comic romp with mild spooky-house jitters rather than real scares, staying playful throughout with a brief flurry of chaos in the middle.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1.
How scary is The Haunted House?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, The Haunted House rates 0/5 — gentle by horror standards, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be restrained with gore and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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