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The above is one of the climatic lines from "Hotel California", the popular song from The Eagles. The thing is that haunted hotels have been a staple of horror and mystery films since forever. There's something about staying in a foreign place where you're not necessarily in control of your surroundings that lends itself so well to this kinds of stories, which is probably why pioneering filmmaker Edwin Porter set this "sequel" in a "spooky hotel".
This is the second short film featuring the character of Uncle Josh (Charles Manley); the first one had him having spooky nightmares, so why not put him in a spooky hotel now? Uncle Josh gets to his room and starts having a conversation with the landlord, when a "spooky" presence starts to play some "spooky" pranks on both.
The film is basically a sketch of slapstick and physical comedy in a "spooky" setting, but it's fun to watch. Plus, as is usual with these shorts, at less than 2 minutes it's not much of a hassle to get through them. I did find the design of the ghost, the sheet and the eyes, to be effective and the physical comedy was well executed by Manley and his co-star.
Grade: N/A
UNCLE JOSH IN A SPOOKY HOTEL
(1900, Porter)
(1900, Porter)
"You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave"
The above is one of the climatic lines from "Hotel California", the popular song from The Eagles. The thing is that haunted hotels have been a staple of horror and mystery films since forever. There's something about staying in a foreign place where you're not necessarily in control of your surroundings that lends itself so well to this kinds of stories, which is probably why pioneering filmmaker Edwin Porter set this "sequel" in a "spooky hotel".
This is the second short film featuring the character of Uncle Josh (Charles Manley); the first one had him having spooky nightmares, so why not put him in a spooky hotel now? Uncle Josh gets to his room and starts having a conversation with the landlord, when a "spooky" presence starts to play some "spooky" pranks on both.
The film is basically a sketch of slapstick and physical comedy in a "spooky" setting, but it's fun to watch. Plus, as is usual with these shorts, at less than 2 minutes it's not much of a hassle to get through them. I did find the design of the ghost, the sheet and the eyes, to be effective and the physical comedy was well executed by Manley and his co-star.
Grade: N/A