There are so many reasons why I loved this cartoon. One significant reason is the characters, I loved all of them. Bugs is great here, he is drawn well and he has some great lines, but this is one instance when he is overshadowed by not one but two characters. One is the monster who looks very like the one in Water Water Every Hare, he is scary at first, but he is very fuzzy and cute as well. The other is the scientist, he looks and acts exactly like Peter Lorre, and he is priceless, his looks, his voice, everything. I also loved the animation, it isn't the very best looking of all the Looney Tunes cartoons, but the opening sequence is suitably atmospheric and there are some nice backgrounds, lovely simple colours and crisp character features. The music is great too, I always look for this and I wasn't disappointed, it had some haunting moments but it was also fun. The dialogue is inspired and really funny, the story is well constructed, the visual gags are just as funny as the dialogue and the pacing is fine. Oh, and Mel Blanc's vocals are superb. Overall, a wonderful Looney Tunes cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Chuck Jones's 'Hair-Raising Hare' pits Bugs Bunny against a genuinely disturbing Peter Lorre scientist caricature and his huge orange monster. The monster (later named Gossamer and also featured in Jones' luscious sequel to this short, 'Water, Water Every Hare' under the name Rudolph) is an extremely memorable villain who, despite his size, never poses much real threat to Bugs once he turns on his heckling. Although it is not as visually luscious as 'Water, Water Every Hare', Tedd Pierce has turned in a great script which includes some viciously amusing eye-poking, a priceless scene involving a suit of armour and the best "What's up, Doc" joke you'll ever hear. Bugs' wisecracks are top drawer ("Don't go up there, it's dark") and the high energy level is kept up throughout. It's also the only cartoon in which you'll get to hear Gossamer speak. All in all, then, 'Hair-Raising Hare' is a blast and makes a cracking double bill with its less gag-driven sequel.

The current NSA scandal makes the beginning of "Hair-Raising Hare" all the more eye-opening. Holding up a candle and looking around the area outside his rabbit hole, Bugs Bunny poses the question "Did ya ever get the feeling you was bein' watched?". Then, we see that he is being watched. Not by the FBI, CIA, KGB, or anything like that, but by a Peter Lorre-resembling scientist (whose name is later revealed to be Evil Scientist). Evil Scientist promises his pet monster that dinner will be served shortly, after which he sends a female rabbit robot to attract Bugs. Once Bugs enters the castle, much of the cartoon consists of Bugs fleeing the monster (at one point even taking on a seemingly gay persona as a manicurist).Obviously, the coolest aspect of this cartoon is how it brings out Bugs's tricks while also poking fun at the monster movies from that era. There's a scene where the monster looks in the mirror and scares his own reflection; maybe that brings up the issue of how we interpret horror, or whether reality is better/worse than its flip side. But I still like how Bugs talks about being watched. It should be a stark reminder to us all, and such a comment could only come from one of these cartoons. Really good. And remember: don't go up there; it's dark! PS: this cartoon was semi-remade in 1952 as "Water Water Every Hare".

Bugs Bunny thinks he's being watched. Is the bunny getting paranoid in his old age? Nope, because as we see, someone IS watching him, an Evil Scientist. The scientist uses a robotic female rabbit to lure Bugs into his castle. Once there the robot self-destructs as Bugs kisses it. Then the evil scientist lets Gossamer, the hair monster to catch the wasscily rabbit. That's when the fun starts. For some reason this short didn't tickle my fancy as much as others that I've seen with Gossamer in them. Not to say this one isn't worth seeing, as it most definitely is.This cartoon is on Disk 3 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1" It also has an optional commentaryMy Grade: B