Haunted Spooks is a 1920 comedy silent film starring Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis.

Plot

The action in Haunted Spooks is sparked by Harold's romantic problems. The opening sequence has him disappointed in love and trying, with notable lack of success, to commit suicide. Eventually he marries a pretty girl (Mildred Davis, who would marry Lloyd in real life three years later and remain his wife until her death in 1969). The couple moves into a mansion that is spooked by a wicked uncle who wants to scare the young people away so he can have the place to himself.

Cast

• Harold Lloyd - The Boy
• Mildred Davis - The Girl
• Wallace Howe - The Uncle
• Sammy Brooks - Short Butler (uncredited)
• William Gillespie - The Lawyer (uncredited)
• Mark Jones - (uncredited)
• Gaylord Lloyd - (uncredited)
• Sam Lufkin - Man arguing in car (uncredited)
• Ernest Morrison - Little Boy (uncredited)
• Dee Lampton - Tall Butler (uncredited)
• Charles Stevenson - Winning Suitor (uncredited)
• Blue Washington - Butler (uncredited)
• Noah Young - Chef (uncredited)

Background

The movie began filming on August 9, 1919 and halted on the 23rd of that due to an accident. Lloyd was posing for publicity photos, and a prop bomb exploded in his hand. He lost two fingers, his face was badly burned and he was temporarily blinded. In subsequent films, he is usually seen wearing gloves. After four months of recovering the film resumed on January 5, 1920 through the 25th. There was very little public knowledge about Lloyd's fingers, but people knew of the accident. Lloyd wanted it that way because he did not want people to watch his films for sympathy or curiosity, but to watch his films "because they were good, laughable, and delightful comedies".

Lloyd's salary doubled after his return to this film. After this movie, he moved away from slapstick and went towards more intellectual comedies.

Filmed on location at Hancock Park and what is now MacArthur Park. The scenes at the haunted mansion were filmed at Hal Roach studios, in Culver City, California.

See also

• Harold Lloyd filmography

References

• Commentary by Suzanne Lloyd, Annette D'Agostino Lloyd, and Richard Correll, from the The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Giftset, Volume 3 - disc one.

External links