A short comedy film, "Haunted Spooks" stars Harold Lloyd and was co-directed and produced by Hal Roach. The first half is about Lloyd's character attempting to kill himself, not a topic which is particularly humorous. The second half is set in a haunted house with Lloyd and his future wife, Mildred Davis, and several frightened Black servants. The servants are depicted as racist stereotypes with shaking knees and wide eyes. One of the Black servants is even played by a white actor in blackface. The title of the short itself is a racial slur.
Many of the reviews excuse the racism of the short as a product of its time. One writes "When the film moves to the haunted house more laughs follow including some politically incorrect ones." Another writes "I can usually overlook the racist overtones of these characterisations because the films are simply a product of their day, reflecting the opinions and attitudes of the society in which they were made." Buster Keaton co-wrote and directed four short films the same year, including one which is considered a classic, "One Week," and not one is considered racist.
Many of the reviews excuse the racism of the short as a product of its time. One writes "When the film moves to the haunted house more laughs follow including some politically incorrect ones." Another writes "I can usually overlook the racist overtones of these characterisations because the films are simply a product of their day, reflecting the opinions and attitudes of the society in which they were made." Buster Keaton co-wrote and directed four short films the same year, including one which is considered a classic, "One Week," and not one is considered racist.