Hillbillys in a Haunted House - 1967
By The Bottom Reel Editorial Team ·
Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967) – When Country Music Met Cold War Spies and a Gorilla
“They'll scare your pants off and give you a chill for life!”
Plot
A pair of country singers and their band are headed to Nashville, Tennessee for a jamboree. Woody Wetherby Ferlin Husky, Boots Malone Joi Lansing, and Jeepers Don Bowman have their car break down and spend the night in an apparently abandoned mansion.
It’s not really haunted. A ring of international spies who live in the haunted house are seeking a top-secret formula for rocket fuel from a nearby rocket base. They operate under cover of fake hauntings – secret panels, glowing skeletons, and Anatole the gorilla lurking in the basement.
Country singers become stranded at a haunted mansion and get mixed up with spies. Between chases, the film stops for full musical numbers.
Cast & Crew
Woody Wetherby – Ferlin Husky
Boots Malone – Joi Lansing replacing Mamie Van Doren from The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966)
Jeepers – Don Bowman
Dr. Himmil / Dr. Himmel – John Carradine
Maximillian – Lon Chaney Jr.
Gregor – Basil Rathbone 74 years old, his final horror film
Madame Wong – Linda Ho
Agent Jim Meadows – Richard Webb
Anatole the gorilla – George Barrows
Herself – Molly Bee
Himself – Merle Haggard very early appearance
Himself – Sonny James
Agent Ming Toy – Virginia Ann Lee
Directed by: Jean Yarbrough
Written by: Duke Yelton
Produced by: Bernard Woolner
Music by: Hal Borne – musical mayhem
Cinematography: Vaughn Wilkins
Distributed by: Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc.
Release: May 1967
Runtime: 86-88 minutes, Color by DeLuxe, Rated G / PG
Filming Location: Raleigh Studios, Hollywood
Budget: $200,000 est.
It is a sequel to The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966), retaining Ferlin Husky and Don Bowman but replacing Jayne Mansfield with Joi Lansing.
Social Impact & Reception
Last gasp of the classic horror stars: The film is famous today because it united three horror icons – John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr., and Basil Rathbone – in their final years, clearly there for a paycheck, playing foreign spies in a hillbilly musical. Rathbone died two months after its release.
Reception then: Dismissed as a bottom-of-the-bill drive-in filler. Too silly for horror, too spooky for country fans.
Reception now: Cult status for camp charm.
Yidio notes: “Despite its B-movie status and low budget, Hillbillys in a Haunted House has gained a cult following over the years, thanks in part to its campy charm and fun musical numbers.”
Critics: Film Frenzy – 1.5/4 – “This probably turned out exactly as its makers hoped, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good movie worth checking out.”
Audience split:
“Enjoyably goofy musical/horror/comedy... This film had the good sense to never take itself seriously, which greatly helps. The film also features some good old fashioned county music from a bunch of performers... with the exception of a young Merle Haggard.” 2.5/5
“It was a confusing delight. Why is there a gorilla? I don't know but, what fun.” 4/5
“The house wasn't really haunted and the people in it weren't really hillbillys.” 0.5/5
“Only hillbillies would spell it ‘hillbillys’” 1.5/5
It lives on via RiffTrax and VCI’s 2000 DVD and 2007 Hillbilly Comedy Collection 4-film set with The Las Vegas Hillbillys.
Social impact: Minimal at release, but it captures 1967 Americana perfectly – Nashville sound on the radio, spy-mania after James Bond, and the old Hollywood horror stars hustling for work. It’s also a time capsule of country music, giving screen time to Ferlin Husky, Sonny James, and Merle Haggard.
Budget vs. Profit at Box Office
Production Budget: $200,000 est.
Box Office Gross: No reported domestic / international gross – played as a second feature on double bills in rural and drive-in markets.
Profit: Unknown, but Woolner Brothers made money on low-cost exploitation. The film never had a major theatrical run; profit came from TV syndication and later DVD. No Box Office Mojo data.
Ratings
IMDb: 2.8 / 10 from ∼1,500 votes some listings 2.7 / 2.6
Rotten Tomatoes: 21% Tomatometer from 1 critic review, Popcornmeter 500+ ratings, Audience reviews mixed 2-4 stars
Buried.com: 2.6 / 10
Rating: G / PG, 86-88 min
Bottom line: Hillbillys in a Haunted House is exactly what you think it is when you read the title and see the gorilla poster. It’s not scary, not really about hillbillys, and not really haunted – it’s three country singers, three horror legends playing spies, a gorilla in a basement, and a rocket fuel MacGuffin, with songs in between. Perfect for a Halloween beer-and-RiffTrax night.