The Dick Van Dyke Showhad an episode set in a supposedly haunted cabin that mastered the tricky balance of laugh-out-loud comedy and atmospheric horror. Horror and comedy might seem like they wouldn’t go together — their objectives are polar opposites; horror is designed to disturb and comedy is designed to delight — but they’re actually stylistic soulmates.
While a scare and a laugh are two completely different emotional reactions, the artistic intention is the same.The goal of both horror and comedy is to catch the audience by surprise; lull them into expecting one thing, then shock them with someone else. Switching between the two keeps an audience on their toes, engaged with the material.
When it comes to namingthe masterpieces of horror comedy— the pieces that have perfected the balance of terror and hilarity — the usual suspects are bound to come up:Shaun of the Dead,Evil Dead II,An American Werewolf in London. But there’s a horror-themedDick Van Dykeepisodethat deserves to be included on that list, too.
The Dick Van Dyke Show Episode “The Ghost Of A. Chantz” Is A Masterpiece Of Horror Comedy
The Characters Have To Spend A Night In A Haunted Cabin
InThe Dick Van Dyke Showseason 4, episode 2, “The Ghost of A. Chantz,”Rob, Laura, Buddy, and Sally arrive at a mountaintop resortto check into the roomstheir boss Alan Bradyhas booked for them. But their producer Mel Cooley apologetically explains that there was a mix-up with the booking, so they don’t have rooms.
The only nearby vacancy is a dingy old cabin, but it’s supposedly haunted.They’re reluctant to stay in a haunted cabin, but they have no other choice, so they go to the cabin and keep telling themselves there’s no such thing as ghosts. But then, strange things start to happen that force them to question that presumption.
The episode is really funny, purely because this cast is hilarious, soall the characters’ reactions to the spooky things around them are priceless.Dick Van Dyke is a master of physical comedy, so Rob’s heebie-jeebies squirming never fails to get a laugh. But the episode also has a genuinely creepy atmosphere thatevokes an old Vincent Price haunted house movie.
The Episode Is A Spot-On Spoof Of Haunted House Movies Like House On Haunted Hill
Vincent Price Would Be Proud
“The Ghost of A. Chantz” is a pitch-perfect parody of old-school haunted house movies likeWilliam Castle’sHouse on Haunted Hill.It has all the tropes of those classic black-and-white horror gems, like an unseen observer watching the guests in the house from a hidden vantage point. In this case, a creepy watcher appears in all the mirrors on the walls.
All the seemingly mundane items around the house start to do seemingly supernatural things that make them terrifying. The fireplace turns itself on, the rocking chair rocks itself, and the sofabed folds itself back into a sofa. There doesn’t seem to be a solid explanation for any of this stuff, soit’s actually unnerving (despite being in a sitcom).
As the episode goes on, just like in a classic haunted house movie, all the guests gradually get picked off one by one until there’s only one left.
As the episode goes on, just like in a classic haunted house movie, all the guests gradually get picked off one by one until there’s only one left. Buddy, Sally, and Laura are all grabbed by ominous assailants and dragged back to the watcher’s lair,leaving Rob all alone and scared out of his mind.
It’s hilarious to see Van Dyke play Rob’s fear, especially with the little look he does as he realizes the watcher is standing right behind him and he hesitates to turn his head. But it also actuallyhas you on the edge of your seat, wondering what’s going to happen. Where have Rob’s friends been taken? Who is this creepy guy watching them?
“The Ghost Of A. Chantz” Builds To A Hilarious Twist
The Haunting Gets Explained Away In Amusingly Anticlimactic Fashion
As it becomes clearer and clearer that the cabin is haunted, the episode keeps you guessing as to what might actually be happening. It has you hanging in suspense, wondering how it’ll be resolved, becauseit all feels so real. But it’s just a sitcom, and they’re not going to kill off their entire cast, so what’s really going on?
As it turns out, the whole thing was orchestrated as a televised prank for a rip-off of Candid Camera that Alan is launching.
The final moments of the episode answer all your questions in the most hilariously anticlimactic way possible. As Rob confronts the man in the mirror, he’s surprised to see Mel’s mug. As it turns out, the whole thing was orchestrated as a televised prank for a rip-off ofCandid Camerathat Alan is launching.
This twist actually gives the episode some rewatch value, because you’re able to go back and see the foundations being laid for the prank. Mel is usually so organized and on top of everything, so it seemed strange that he would mess up something as crucial as booking everyone’s hotel rooms. But now, it makes sense; it was all on purpose.
The Dick Van Dyke Showis streaming on Peacock and Prime Video.
The blending of horror and comedy can betraced back toAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which put a classic comic double act in a terrifying monster-movie situation.The Dick Van Dyke Show’s haunted house episode is very much in that vein, and it deserves the same recognition as an early masterpiece of horror comedy.
