The film opens with two men tumbling a boulder down a hill overlooking a secluded road. The boulder hits a passing car and kills the driver. The murder is witnessed by none other than our old buddy Francis the shit talking mule. Francis calls a dude (Mickey Rooney) who used to ride Francis when he was a kid and Francis lived on the boy’s uncle’s farm. What the fuck? Why does it have to be so complicated? Anyway, this dude, David Prescott, is nearly as bumbling as Peter Stirling was and within just a few hours of Francis telling him about the murder…David’s arrested for the murder himself! Fucking idiot. Eventually, David escapes from police custody with the help of Francis and they go creeping around the bowels of a local haunted castle looking to solve the murder themselves. That sounds more exciting than it actually was.
When I first heard the name FRANCIS IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE I was like "Whoa, Francis versus a bunch of ghosts! That's awesome!" I was picturing all kinds of wacky Scooby-Doo hijinks with snippets of THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI and GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW added into the mix. Maybe even some damsels in need of saving. But nope, no ghosts or ghouls or bloodthirsty apes, hell, not even a lot of Francis. At least a not enough for me.
Weak story, uninspired script, okay acting, impressive supporting cast full of familiar faces including Richard Deacon, Timothy Carey, David Janssen (in his third Francis series appearance) and William Boyett (who you probably remember from 1987's THE HIDDEN), boring action scenes, zero substantial female roles. FRANCIS IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE is an alright film. I wanted to like the movie more than I did, but the whole thing just left me wanting more and never getting it. Worth watching for completionists, but that's about it.
Part 1 - Francis (1950)
Part 2 - Francis Goes to the Races (1951)
Part 3 - Francis Goes to West Point (1952)
Part 4 - Francis Covers the Big Town (1953)
Part 5 - Francis Joins the WACS (1954)
Part 6 - Francis in the Navy (1955)
