Mark Sennett was an icon of comedy filmmaking in Hollywood during the early stages of talking films. Here with The Old Barn, Sennett shows his early promise as a filmmaker by putting together a fresh and quirky short comedy that’s still funny today. But aside from well placed gags and hilarious lines of dialogue, the movie also has a mystery quality, as the identities of the people meeting are not what they seem to be. As it builds to a surprising and enjoyable climax involving a (possibly) haunted house, The Old Barn keeps ups the laughs and the intrigue to the final reel ends.
