(1929)
Dir - Walt Disney
Overall: GOOD
The fourteenth cartoon produced in the Mickey Mouse series and first to be in the horror camp, The Haunted House is a typical early entry for the studio with Walt Disney himself providing Mickey's voice and yet another syncing of music to animation as their Silly Symphony shorts likewise utilized. It has the same initial Disney collaborators of Walt, animator Ub Iwerks, and composer Carl Stalling and in fact, animation is lifted right out of The Skeleton Dance and placed here, that very same dance just taking place indoors this time. The Disney musical trademarks do not stop there just by the simple fact that the undead are once again more concerned with having a jamboree than scaring anyone as they cannot stop using each other's back bones, rib cages, and butt bones as musical instruments.
(1930)
Dir - Burt Gillet
Overall: MEH
It is a bit of stretch to consider The Gorilla Mystery as something to warrant any interest from strict horror fans. A parody of the 1925 stage play The Gorilla which was made twice cinematically already by the time this one came around, the large, threatening primate in question growls right at the screen and kidnaps Minnie Mouse, a kidnapping which does take place while her and Mickey are on the phone playing piano to one each other since you have to have joyful music thrown in there somewhere. Yet it is hardly played for even any infantile frights. All the same, the film is still considered one of the horror-esque ones in the Mickey Mouse series so here we are. There is really not much else to it besides being a half musical and half cat and mouse chase resulting in the gorilla tripping in a rope, the end.
(1933)
Dir - David Hand
Overall: GOOD
The first appearance of Disney's Mad Doctor or Doctor XXX character was appropriately titled The Mad Doctor, the second in the Mickey Mouse series released for 1933. The appropriate, frightening be it playful tone is maintained throughout as Mickey suffers a nightmare, (spoilers), where the evil doctor of the title kidnaps Pluto and has a whole Gothic abode equipped with any number of spooky traps and of course, lots of skeletons that come to life. Though this time it is strictly horror business as no musical bust-outs occur. Animation is lifted from the Silly Symphony Egyptian Melodies and the supernaturally self-locking front door gag is brought back from The Haunted House, which likewise found Mickey trapped in a creepy ole mansion against his wishes.
(1935)
Dir - David Hand
Overall: GOOD
By 1935, cartoons in the Mickey Mouse series had begun being produced in Technicolor and the first that could be classified as a horror entry since then was Pluto's Judgement Day, one that as you could logically guess primary focuses on Mickey's pet dog instead. We get to witness another nightmare, this time being Pluto's as he is lured to a hellish, underworld court where singing cats put him on trial for chasing them while wearing red, devilish robes and poking him with pitchforks. Pluto's ultimate comeuppance steers just shy of being too gruesome for children as he is held over a burning fire while strapped helplessly to a bottomless chair that leaves his rear end exposed for easier flame access, waking up and kissing Mickey's pet cat in a bath proving that he has learned his lesson. It is a solid enough, diabolical ride until then though.
(1937)
Dir - Burt Gillet
Overall: GOOD
Released three days after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lonesome Ghosts has also been seen in retrospect as a possible inspiration for Ghostbusters and even features the line of dialog, "I ain't scared of no ghost!" so, close enough. As famous as any of the studio's horror cartoons and featured in the 1977 Halloween themed episode of The Wonderful World of Disney amongst many other compilations, Lonesome Ghosts has all the appropriate fun and spooky eye and ear candy present with a dilapidated haunted house, reverberated ghost voices, and ominous music. Donald Duck's voice is still impossible to understand, which was nothing new though. It endures quite well and even though it is still too kid-friendly to compare to the far more humorous cartoons produced by MGM and Warner Bros., it can easily rank as the best single Disney short at least with a horror theme.
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