Scared Stiff

"They're making a spook-tacle of themselves!"

1953 1h 48m EN

😐

6.5

MID

★6.5TMDB · 45

ComedyHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A nightclub singer and his partner escape mobsters by fleeing to Cuba with a beautiful heiress, who has inherited a haunted castle on an isolated island. The trio hunt for a hidden treasure and encounter a ghost, a zombie, and a mysterious killer...

“They're making a spook-tacle of themselves!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Dean Martin
Larry Todd
Jerry Lewis
Myron Mertz
Lizabeth Scott
Mary Carroll
Carmen Miranda
Carmelita Castinha
George Dolenz
Mr. Cortega
Dorothy Malone
Rosie
William Ching
Tony Warren
Paul Marion
Ramon Cariso / Francisco Cariso

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George Marshall
Writers: Herbert Baker, Walter DeLeon
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George Marshall, shot by Ernest Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Leith Stevens. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Warren Low shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and Lizabeth Scott carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They're making a spook-tacle of themselves!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0046280 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 45 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George Marshall directs. Ernest Laszlo behind the camera. Leith Stevens scores. Warren Low cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

173 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by George Marshall, shot by Ernest Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Leith Stevens. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Warren Low shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and Lizabeth Scott carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They're making a spook-tacle of themselves!".
7IMDB entry: tt0046280 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 45 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ernest Laszlo
Original score: Leith Stevens
Editing: Warren Low
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Scared Stiff (1953)

Also by

George Marshall

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-07-13
★ 7/10
It's worse than horrible because a zombie has no will of his own. Larry Todd (Dean Martin), and Myron Mertz (Jerry Lewis) run a foul of gangster "Shorty" and are forced to flee the hotel when suspicion of murder falls on Larry. Hooking up with heiress Mary Carroll (Lizabeth Scott) who is sailing for Cuba, the guys find that Cuba is one mysterious place, full of weird goings on and Zombies! Scared Stiff was Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis' ninth picture, a remake of Paramount's 1940 comedy spooker, The Ghost Breakers that starred Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard, it's also directed by the same man, George Marshall. Though both Lewis and Martin are on record as saying they didn't want to remake The Ghost Breakers since the Hope movie was fine the way it is. The guys were bound to do it by their Paramount contract, and thus producer Hal B. Wallis, rightly assuming that it was viable material for the duo, got the film made. In the pantheon of Martin/Lewis films, Scared Stiff ranks as one of the better efforts that the guys did. Larks and songs and a Carmen Miranda cameo make up the main body of Scared Stiff. Standard slap-stick to none fans of the intrepid duo, but essential viewing for those that have a kink for such shenanigans. From a ventriloquist dummy skit to Lewis' delightful take on Miranda, and containing an hilarious sequence with Jerry stuck in a trunk, there's enough guffaws to keep the grin on ones face. Fans of the singing side of Deano are however short changed here, and there is no getting away from the fact that Scared Stiff is ultimately a rushed cash in job. So with that in mind newcomers to the pair are advised to possibly give the film a miss and head for the likes of Artists And Models and Hollywood or Bust instead. 7/10

Production companies