Hillbillys in a Haunted House

1967 "They'll scare your pants off!"
2.8| 1h26m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 01 May 1967 Released
Producted By: Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc.
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Country singers on their way to Nashville have car trouble, forcing them to stop at an old haunted mansion. Soon they realize that the house is not only haunted, but is also the headquarters of a ring of international spies after a top secret formula for rocket fuel.

Genre

Horror, Comedy, Music

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Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

Jean Yarbrough

Production Companies

Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc.

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Hillbillys in a Haunted House Audience Reviews

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Leofwine_draca HILLBILLYS IN A HAUNTED HOUSE (note the title misspelling, perhaps deliberate to avoid copyright claims from TV's THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES) is a sad and ignoble episode in the careers of three big-time actors from the early era of film: Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney Jr., and John Carradine. They're mired in an extremely old-fashioned, 'old dark house' style plot line in which a trio of country music performers and their associates take refuge in a creepy old mansion, only to fall foul of an evil Chinese woman and her trio of elderly henchmen.This is a poor film indeed that mixes extremely tame thrills with lots of padded out musical set-pieces. If you like country music you might get a kick out of it, but otherwise it's all rather patience-testing, especially when the plotting finishes twenty minutes before the running time and you get endless songs to tread water until the credits roll.Although all three of the old-time actors would go on to appear in other films (with John Carradine, thanks to his incredible longevity, acting for over another twenty years), it really was the end of the line for Rathbone (who made only one more film) and Chaney (who made six more). Carradine is timeless and enthusiastic but barely on screen, although Rathbone manages to retain his dignity amidst the madness. Chaney has more screen time, but is the most bloated and aged of all three. There's also a cheesy guy in a gorilla costume running around, in case the film wasn't old-fashioned enough already.
m2mallory Criticizing "Hillbillys in a Haunted House" (yes, that's really the way "Hillbillys" is spelled) might seem like shooting fish in a barrel, but even by 1960s grind-house standards, this picture is dreadful. In fact, I think Ed Wood can breathe a little easier wherever he is, knowing that THIS is really the worst movie ever made. Only one scene involving Lon Chaney, Jr., and a murder has any kind of impact, but it doesn't really belong in the picture, since that it is played straight, and the rest of this mess is farcical. Much has been made about the star trio of fading horror stars, but actually seeing them here is truly sad. Chaney tries to inject some life, but it's pretty hopeless (this same year Chaney was featured in a good big-budget Western, "Welcome to Hard Times," and was a semi-regular on TV's "Pistols and Petticoats," so did he REALLY need the money that bad?). John Carradine phones it in, apparently not having bothered to read the script beforehand (in once scene he calls Basil Rathbone "George" when the character's name is really "Gregor"). It is poor Rathbone, however, who elicits the highest cringe rating. Clearly ailing, his speech is slightly slurred as he struggles to get the maimed dialogue out. The Country Western leads are inept, with someone named Don Bowman, ostensibly the comic relief, taking the Unfunniest Man Alive award away from Fidel Castro, and Ferlin Husky grimacing so mightily as he goes for the high notes that it looks like a tribute to Chaney transforming into a werewolf. Joi Lansing is awful, but an eyeful, and Linda Ho is so amateurish that she should have had her SAG card revoked. The plot involves spies, a "haunted" house, a gorilla in the basement, really dumb comedy, even dumber characters, and far too many musical numbers, which means it could have been made in the mid 1940s (with largely the same cast!), and they might have gotten away with it. But coming a year before "Rosemary's Baby," it's just pathetic. If you want to see the nadir, knowing that you'll probably never see anything worse, then watch it.
MartinHafer I recently learned about this movie when I saw a documentary entitled "The Fifty Worst Movies" and since I am a glutton for punishment, it sounded like it would be so bad it was funny. Well, after seeing this film, it is so bad that it's just plain awful. Seeing the movie to make fun of it isn't really possible--it just stinks so badly! Towards the end of their careers, Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney and John Carradine would star in just about anything--and this film is the proof. It's a combination horror movie, Country Music marathon and spy movie!! Yep, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you! Talk about awful! The film begins with old-time Country singer Ferlin Husky and his friends driving to Nashville for a concert. You know it's going to be a long ride when one of the friends is named "Jeepers" and they start the film with one of the worst songs I can remember. The problem was that it was very obvious that they were just moving their lips and the song literally sounded like it was recorded in a tunnel. In fact, all the songs in the film (and there were MANY) sounded this way. Throughout the film, they'd break into song in the darnedest places and most ridiculously inappropriate moments. And, at the end, when there was no more plot, they just had about 6 songs in a row by a variety of long-forgotten Country stars. The net effect was a lot like watching an extended episode of "Hee-Haw" without all the corny jokes.As far as the aging actors go, they were spies (naturally) who lived in a haunted house and had a killer gorilla (obviously a guy in a costume). None of it made a bit of sense and the film made BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA look like Shakespeare in comparison!! Dumb, pointless and absolutely painful if you hate old-time Country music. This is a chore to watch!
bensonmum2 Two country singers and their manager are on their way to Nashville when they decide to find a place to stop and spend the night. They find a deserted mansion that seems to nicely fit the bill. But this mansion may be haunted. And if it's not, it certainly is the hideout of a group of baddies up to no good. Will the country crooners make through the night to live their dreams in Music City? What do you get when you mix a supposed haunted house, loads of country music, aging horror icons, and some ridiculous attempts at humor? In the case of Hillbillys in a Haunted House, you get this mess of a movie. To begin with, the "haunted house" is about as threatening looking as my neighbor's house. And by the time the spooks show up, who cares? I know I had lost interest long before any ghost made an appearance. And could the country music be any more dull? If I weren't already a non-fan of country music, I certainly would be after watching this movie. As I watched, I really felt sorry for Carradine, Chaney, and especially Rathbone. To have to appear in a disaster like this. If it weren't for Joi Lansing, I would have turned Hillbillys in a Haunted House off about halfway through. It's that bad!