The Haunted House

## Episode guide

**"The Haunted House"** is the ninth episode of the first season of *Nate Is Late*.

## Synopsis

Melanie gives Nate and Malika a letter to be delivered at an old mansion in a nearby street.

## Plot

Nate’s mother comes to wake him up, finding his room utterly messy, so much so that his alarm clock has been buried under clothes preventing him from hearing it going off. She scolds him for not cleaning up, citing that “A clean home is a happy home” and orders him to do so once he gets back from school. Nate gets dressed and rushes out the door, meeting Malika. As they set about their trek, Melanie passes by them and asks the two to deliver a letter she had missed in her rounds, not wanting to double back for fear of missing up her schedule. Seeing that they have time, the duo agrees to the task. But find the address to be a huge two-story mansion that Nate claims is haunted. Malika doesn’t believe it, stating to have passed the house multiple times and having never seen anything.

They head to the mail slot which has been stuffed with many letters. Nate goes to put it in, but the door opens in his struggle to do so, causing him to fall inside. Malika follows and they find the place to be dusty and seemingly abandoned. They call out to anyone and set to leave the letter, but surprisingly someone yells back for them to leave. A man comes running up to them, grabs them and tries to get them outside, but the door closes on its own before he can and won't open again to his dismay. He states that the house will let people in, but not out. A claim that’s proven when every exit Nate and Malika try to take ends up stuck or barred by bars or bricks to their panic. The man introduces himself as Howard Bissell and that the house belonged to his great aunt, Muriel. Nate finds a trophy bearing her name claiming her the winner of the best house from 1999 to 2015. Howard explains she loved the house and kept it cleaned up until her death two years ago. Howard came to visit the place that morning but ended up trapped inside.

Malika thinks it could be a security system and has everyone split up to search for a way to deactivate it. As they look, the appliances suddenly start coming to life and chasing them. They duck into a closet, now fully believing the place is haunted, and re-think their plan. Howard mentioning a doggie door at the back of the house for the kids to slip through and get help. However the appliances in the closet start coming to life and continues the chase. Nate grabs some mops and brooms and gives them to Malika and Howard to defend themselves. During the struggle, the letter the duo tried to deliver blows into Nate’s face and he finds that it’s a notice of demolition which is scheduled for that very day. Realizing they ***must*** get out now, Howard sends the two for the doggie door. Malika ends up wrapped in a sheet while running, urging Nate to get out and save them. Nate tries but ends up cornered in a hallway by a bathtub and iron board. Seeing no option, he starts flailing his push broom at them, sweeping the floor unintentionally. Oddly the house suddenly shakes and the tub and board start backing off.

Noting that the house likes that he’s sweeping, Nate realizes that the house isn’t malicious but just wants to be cleaned. He returns to Malika and Howard and shows them his discovery. Seeing that it’s the only way the house will let them leave, the three clean the house from top to bottom, finishing just in time before the demolition crew arrives to destroy the place, the house letting the three out to halt the knock down and show them the building isn’t a safety hazard anymore. The city council official reverses the council's decision and lets the house stand. Even better, Howard found out his aunt gave him the house in her will and decides to move in and keep up the upkeep. When Howard asks if he can do anything for the duo in return, they ask the council member for a lift to school, who obliges by letting them ride on the bulldozer.

Principal Prudence sees this but doesn’t bother trying to ask them what happened, just cites that the two are late and, as punishment, that they’ll spend recess picking up trash. Nate’s more the happy to do so, trying to recite what his mother told him that morning which he had did so earlier. Annoyed, Malika tells him they get it as they go about their school day.

## Characters

-**Main**

* Nate
* Malika
* Nate's Mother (Introduction)
* Howard Bissell
* Haunted House
* Principal Prudence

-**Cameo**

* Mrs. Rainford and Ajax: Seen walking by the house when Nate and Malika scream after finding out they can't leave, unable to hear them.
* Violet: Seen driving by the house when the above action happens.

## Trivia

* This is the first appearance of Nate's mother.
* The usual high five and "oh yeah" is subverted here as Malika's cuts off Nate quoting his mother speech out of a annoyance.

### Allusions

* The plot is similar to the *Courage the Cowardly Dog* episode, "House Call". The fact that Howard's aunt is named Muriel could likely be a shout out to that show.

## Errors

* When Nate runs out into the hallway after the bathtub comes alive, for a split second, his clothes are inexplicably covered in sewage.

## Gallery

Click the image to view the gallery for this episode.

## Transcript

Click here to view the transcript for this episode.

## Names in other languages

* **Basque:** Etxe sorgindua
* **French:** La maison hantée
* **German:** Das Spukhaus
* **Mandarin (China):** 闹鬼的老房子
* **Spanish (Spain):** La casa encantada

 Season 2 | 1. "The Lady of the Lake" • 2. "The Thunderbird" • 3. "The Crocodile Man" • 4. "The Golem" • 5. "The Hairdresser" • 6. "The Mood Enhancer" • 7. "The Chess Game" • 8. "The Drone" • 9. "The Astronaut" • 10. "The Gorgon" • 11. "The Dimensional Rift" • 12. "The Reptilians" • 13. "The Enchanted Bracelet" • 14. "The Ink Thief" • 15. "The Tiki" • 16. "The Puppet" • 17. "The Mandrake" • 18. "The Vampires" • 19. "The Sphinx" • 20. "The Pendulum" • 21. "The Giant Fish" • 22. "The Wedding Dress" • 23. "The Home Spirit" • 24. "The Great Pili-Pala" • 25. "The Endless Recess" • 26. "The Chicken Cop" • 27. "The Kitsune" • 28. "The Collector" • 29. "The Kappa" • 30. "The Beanstalk" • 31. "The Demigod's Test" • 32. "The Glitch" • 33. "The Tiny Tops" • 34. "The Magician's Top Hat" • 35. "The Chromapix" • 36. "The Gingerbread Family" • 37. "The Alphabet Agency" • 38. "The Wild Beasts" • 39. "The Return of the Cuddly Toys" • 40. "The Race Car" • 41. "Inside Professor Toybos" • 42. "The Asteroid" • 43. "The Time Travellers" • 44. "The Nebulons" • 45. "The Witches' Convention" • 46. "The Kobolds" • 47. "The Superstars" • 48. "The Goblin's Cousin" • 49. "The Golden Crown" • 50. "The Scarecrow" • 51. "The Banana Peel Part I" • 52. "The Banana Peel Part II"