Customer Ratings & Reviews

I was over the moon when I learned that this classic Don Knotts film was being released on blu-ray. And I ran to my local Best Buy the day it was released. The colors were brilliant and the soundtrack was great in this transfer. Took me back to my childhood.

Usually when Univeral announces catalogue titles of older and, sometimes, newer titles, many fans get kind of skittish. While the price is usually just right (Recently, they've upped the price and are too expensive for the most part) sometimes it's not worth the upgrade due to the most egregious error to a lot of film fans: DNR. Digital Noise Reduction is the bane of many Bluray collectors, which artificially sharpens the film at a loss of film grain, which then, loses the detail of the picture and comes off as waxy (Predator Ultimate Hunters Edition is the most infamous example). When this classic film was announced as part of the next wave of releases from Universal, I panicked and eagerly kept the DVD on the shelf. But, before I go on about the picture quality, let's talk about the movie. Don Knotts is Luther Heggs, a typesetter at a local newspaper eager for his big break into reporting. Problem is, he is a big chicken (hence, the Mr. Chicken of the title) and is quite noted as being an embarrassing figure around his small Kansas town. While at his job, some of his cohorts strike up an idea for a story, while mainly amusing themselves in the process, to have Luther stay a night in a supposed haunted house just in time for the anniversary of a murder that went down 20 years ago that night. Of course, he stays the night, experiencing several "paranormal activities" of a Scooby Doo nature and becomes the talk of the Town and winning the favor of his fellow townsfolk. Of course, the story is claimed fake and must prove his innocence or else. So the film is an easy watch, with Knotts doing his usual stuff to great effect (Think a slightly less nervous Barney Fife), some classic lines ("Attaboy, Luther!"), snappy direction and a nice color look of the Universal backlot circa 1966. The film isn't perfect and is cheesy in parts, and I feel this film helped inspire Scooby-Doo with the whole haunted house and trapdoor imagery throughout, but this is a film perfect to throw on during the Halloween season and have a good laugh or two. But back to the picture quality, I said I held on to my DVD, because it was cheap to have, looked good on my TV and was waiting to hear reviews about the Blu-ray. I heard some positive feedback on forums and the many reviews I read online and decided $6 was worth the upgrade. Luckily, the film looks great in HD, surprising many, including myself. The image looks clean and surpringly crisp for a 50 year old film, retaining some great colors, high details on faces, fabrics and sets and retains the film grain, keeping it level and even. The sound is a DTS-HD 2.0 track, which isn't going to rattle your foundation, but it is accurate of the time, keeping the dialogue clear and the lively music from Vic Mizzy nice and sharp. The only downside is a lack of extras. I know the DVD was similarly barebones, but with the steady popularity of the film, I was expecting at least a trailer for the film, but they couldn't even scrounge up an interview or anything new to make the $6 price a bit easier to swallow? Regardless, this is a classic comedy, well-priced with a beautiful presentation representative of it's 50 year history that any fan, or one who wants to discover this film for the first time, and is totally worth a spot on your shelf.

This is a older movie that I had previously seen, but my wife had not and I was delighted when I was able to purchase it from BestBuy at a good price so my wife and I can watch it anytime we want.

This is one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. Blu ray copy is really clear and great sound. I do recommend this movie.

Don Knotts left The Andy Griffith Show to make this movie and it was a big hit. Funny as all get out! Atta boy, Luther!

I saw this as a kid and it was definitely scary way back then. Now it's just silly and funny, but I still love it.

Package arrived as expected. This is a great movie, though some parts might frighten young children.

Great old show that is fun for the whole family. Brings back the entertainment from the olden days

I love this classic mystery w Don Knotts. A film everyone should see at least once!

This movie is a classic Don Knotts favorite that the whole family can enjoy.

Love Don Knotts, funny movie. A must have for your collection.

This movie on Blu-ray is a true must have for don knots fans.

Love this movie ~ great for watching in the summer heat!

Luther Heggs aspires to being a reporter for his small town newspaper, the Rachel Courier Express. He gets his big break when the editor asks him to spend the night at the Simmons mansion that, 20 years before, was the site of a now famous murder-suicide. The case has aroused local interest not only because of the anniversary but due to the fact that the family heir, Nick Simmons, has returned to Rachel aiming to tear the mansion down. Luther's account of his wild, ghost-ridden night in the house leads Simmons to sue for libel, but with the aid of his friend Kelsey they determine what exactly happened that night long ago and the identity of the real killer

This is no Criterion Collection piece, and the included audio really has only been given a minor amount of attention. BUT, this is the best that "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" has ever looked and sounded. It still remains one of the better family-friendly old comedies, with the signature silliness from Knotts' style. For owners of the DVD, this is not a big enough departure in quality for me to recommend, unless you find this cheap enough to fit well within your budget, and you plan to help spread the love by passing your old DVD copy on.

The value on this funny Don Knotts movie is excellent. If you are thinking about upgrading your standard DVD copy to blu-ray HD, this release is for you. PQ is very good. AQ is good. No real Special Features. This is the best this movie will be available on home video, unless a major restoration in 4K UHD is made available. That is currently unlikely. Here is to more Don Knotts on blu-ray. Thank you for reading.

Funny classic don knotts movie, a movie the whole family can enjoy

I picked this up because this Best Buy exclusive was on sale for $7.99. I didn't have it on DVD but there is no doubt that this bare bones blu ray beats the look of the other formats that this title has been available on. The scope picture looks nice, the sound good and the low price just tops it off. I suggest getting a copy while the price is still crazy-low at $7.99 or even $9.99 as this exclusive is bound to become unavailable quickly. It is nice to have it for our annual Halloween season viewing.

this is far and away the second best thing Don Knotts ever did, of course if you don;t believe Barney Fife is one of the greatest TV characters ever, you probably don't like Don Knotts the movie is classic Don, bug-eyed, over anxious, pseudo ladies man, and a fantastic supporting cast of familiar faces from sixties television programs, particularly ex-playmate Joan Staley and Reta Shaw, who by the way, WAS NOT A PLAYMATE, but she is always fun to watch picture sound/quality are super

If you are into clean, classic comedy cinema (ala Abbott and Costello, Don Knotts) this is some of Don Knotts' best work. I hadn't seen this film for probably 2 decades, but when I saw being released on blu-ray at Best Buy just before Halloween, it was a no-brainer. My kids are all under 10, and they loved the slap-stick hilarious antics throughout the film. Great, clean family fun - and the transfer is very commendable. It's not a 4k remaster, but very well done indeed.