Day 7: House Party!

October 7, 2022

Dear Disney,

A year after the iconic Silly Symphony, “The Skeleton Dance” was released to the public, Mickey Mouse made his first theatrical debut within the “horror” genre in the 1929 short “Mickey Mouse in The Haunted House.”

Mickey, finding himself alone on a dark and stormy night, enters what appears to be an abandoned house. Within the house, he gets trapped by the Grim Reaper who forces Mickey to play the organ for him and his skeleton friends. After the Grim Reaper and the skeletons get distracted, Mickey sneaks away, jumps out a window, and runs away and into the darkness beyond.

I had never heard of this short until last night. While looking at list of Disney Halloween Movies and Shorts, I found this gem. As Mickey’s first appearance in a scary or horror piece, I expected Disney to either place it firmly in it’s vault or to have it proudly on display on Disney+. However, I did not find it in either location, but as, what it appears to be, in public domain.

I do not know what to make of this short. It takes animation directly from “The Skeleton Dance”, but those animations seem less polished. However, the creepiness of the Grim Reaper is chilling. I do not like the way the Grim Reapers hands are twisty-twirly. The way the fingers curl sends shivers down my spine.

I think that this short is obviously important as Disney continued, and continues, to toe the line regarding the macabre in its modern work as well. Over the past week we have watched old shorts and new shorts and one thing is clear, Disney definitely knows how to tell a story.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear