THE BIG SCARE (1929) Animation, Comedy | Short | Free Movie

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The Big Scare is a 1929 silent-era cartoon short from Paul Terry’s Aesop’s Fables, blending spooky slapstick comedy with farmyard characters. Like many in the series, it features anthropomorphic animals and simple moral lessons wrapped in exaggerated, humorous antics.

Synopsis:

Set on a moonlit night at a rural farm, the animals are frightened by strange sounds and shadowy figures. A ghost story told around the barnfire gets their imaginations running wild. When mysterious happenings begin—floating objects, creaking floorboards, glowing eyes in the dark—the barnyard erupts in panic.

Our hero (often a dog or pig in these cartoons) decides to investigate. Armed with a lantern and lots of nervous courage, he stumbles into a chaotic series of gags involving bats, fake skeletons, and a scarecrow mistaken for a monster.

Eventually, the "ghost" is revealed to be a mischievous goat or another animal pulling pranks. The cartoon ends with everyone laughing at their own fear—and a typical Aesop-styled moral, like:
“Don’t be scared of shadows... unless they bite.”

Cast & Crew:

Director: Paul Terry
Co-Director: John Foster
Animator: Paul Terry
Animator: John Foster
Production Company: Aesop’s Fables Studio
Distributor: Educational Pictures