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7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Taxi Spooks remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Okay, so Taxi Spooks? Look, if you're not already into old, old silent comedies, probably skip this one. It’s definitely for folks who dig that 1920s slapstick vibe, maybe you're a fan of Thelma Hill or just curious about what passed for laughs way back when. If you need crisp dialogue or a plot that makes perfect sense, you'll probably just be scratching your head. 🧐
The whole thing kicks off with Annie, played by Thelma Hill, and her mother trying to find Grandpa's fortune. And naturally, because it’s a silent film from this era, a bunch of shady, but mostly incompetent, men are after it too. It’s all very straightforward.
The taxi driver, bless his heart, gets dragged into this mess pretty quickly. He's this kind of gruff, bewildered guy who just wants to do his job but keeps finding himself in these ridiculous situations. You see a lot of characters like that back then, always the straight man to the chaos.
The gags in Taxi Spooks are classic slapstick. There’s a lot of running around, people tripping over things, and cars barely missing each other. You get the sense they filmed it all pretty fast, just going for the broadest possible laughs.
One scene, I remember, has a character trying to hide under a table, and their legs are just sticking out in the most obvious way. It’s not subtle at all, but that’s the charm, right? You’re meant to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it.
The 'shady men' are a highlight, in their own way. They’re less menacing villains and more like overgrown kids who haven't quite figured out how to be bad. They tumble, they bump into each other. You almost feel bad for them when they inevitably mess things up.
The pace is frantic. It’s a short film, so they pack as many gags as they can into the runtime. There's not much time for quiet moments, just one chase after another, with a few misunderstandings thrown in for good measure.
Thelma Hill is pretty good here, she’s got that expressive face perfect for silent comedy. She doesn’t just react, she overreacts in the best possible way. You can tell she’s having a blast, even when her character is supposed to be stressed.
There's this moment where one of the bad guys tries to steal something, but he gets stuck in a doorway. It goes on for a bit longer than you expect, just him wiggling, and it becomes funnier because of that extra beat. It really drives home the clumsy nature of the villains.
It’s not a movie you’re going to dissect for deep meaning. It's more like a quick, silly diversion. A relic from a time when a simple chase and some physical humor was all you needed for a good time at the picture show. No complex plots, just pure, unadulterated goofiness. Sometimes that’s all you need on a lazy afternoon. 😊
Oh, and the actual taxi itself. It looks like it’s barely holding together, adding to the whole ramshackle vibe. Like it could fall apart at any moment during the chase. Which, knowing these films, it probably almost did.
IMDb —
1927
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