“What’s your favorite ‘80s Horror Movie?”
“1980s or 1880s?”
“What the hell are you talking about? 1980s. That’s when they started making Horror Movies, dude.”
“What about THE EXORCIST? That was made in 1973.”
“Okay, dude, there were one or two ancient Horror Movies.”
“What about THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and THE THING in the 1950s?”
“What are you smokin’, dude? THE THING was made in the 80s.”
“That was the remake. The original was made in 1951.”
“You’re crazy? It wasn’t no remake!”
“Yes. It was. What about the classic Universal movies like THE WOLFMAN and FRANKENSTEIN and THE MUMMY?”
“The shitty Tom Cruise movie or the old movie with The Rock?”
“The MUMMY with Boris Karloff made in 1932. And not the WOLFMAN made last year, the one with Lon Chaney Jr made in 1941. And not the Del Toro FRANKENSTEIN they’re making now, the one with Boris Karloff from 1931.”
“You’re an old dude, but not that old.”
“This time of year, they show some of those old films in cinemas, but they’re on DVD and Blu-Ray and even streaming. You can watch every Horror Movie ever made... if you want. Well, except for LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT. I thought you said you were a Horror Movie fan? I haven’t even mentioned any of the great foreign horror movies.”
“They in English?”
“Subtitles.”
“What are those? But, dude, be serious, you said 1800s, they didn’t even have movies back then. They sure as hell didn’t have Horror Movies.”
THE HAUNTED CASTLE (aka THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL) 1896.
Directed by:Georges Melies
Written by:George Melies
Starring:Jehanne D’Arcy, Jules-Eugene Legris.
Produced by:George Melies
Cinematography by:George Melies
Music by: Whoever was playing the organ.
Okay, though Eadweard Muybridge sort of invented movies 1878 with THE HORSE IN MOTION to win a bet, and the first actual movie was ROUNDHAY GARDEN SCENE in 1888, we wouldn’t get the first Horror Movie until 1896... only 8 years after that movie about people walking in their garden. While others thought the idea of a motion picture was amazing on his own, Melies was a magician with a wild imagination who began using film to create illusions. You’ve probably seen that image from A TRIP TO THE MOON where a space ship pokes the Moon in the eye. Melies created all kinds of special effects, and probably even the *idea* of special effects. Creating something that does not exist in real life on screen.
Though film was brand new at the time, Melies realized he could perform magic tricks by stopping the camera and adding or removing something from the frame... and THE HAUNTED CASTLE is full of this magic. Plus it hits almost every type of horror you can think of... or at least, what they could think of back in 1896.
Here’s the entire movie:
(SYNOPSIS)
It begins with a bat fluttering into the castle and turning into the Devil (Mephistopheles), who makes a cauldron appear from nowhere, and creates a Woman assistant! A Witch! Then they vanish! So does the cauldron! The room is now empty.
A pair of Soldiers enter the castle, and the Witch appears, pokes one soldier in the butt with a pitchfork, vanishes, appears and pokes the other soldier in the back. When the soldiers turn, they are alone in the room. One of them runs away scared!
The other is confused and sits on a bench... Which vanishes, so he falls on his butt onto the floor!
A walking skeleton appears!
The last Soldier draws his sword and attacks the skeleton.
But the skeleton turns into a bat!
The soldier attacks the bat!
But the bat turns into the Devil!
The Devil conjures four ghosts... and the ghosts attack the Soldier! The Soldier can not win a battle against ghosts, and once the Soldier is subdued, the ghosts vanish...
The Devil makes his Witch assistant appear, and she hoochie coochies the Soldier. The Soldier bows and kisses her hand... but the hand is withered and old, and when he looks up - it’s an old woman!
The old Witch raises her wand and becomes six witches!
The first Soldier returns, and the Six Witches attack him! He jumps off the balcony to his death. The Six Witches dance in a circle... and then vanish!
The Devil turns to the Second Soldier, who pulls out a crucifix... and the Devil vanishes.
Imagine watching this in 1896 when movies were people walking in their garden and trains entering a station. I’m sure people screamed and fainted. This film was so successful, Melies remade it the following year... in COLOR!
This is the First Horror Movie and the First Haunted House Movie.
If you haven’t seen any Horror movies made before the 1980s? Or any Horror movies that weren’t made in America? Or any Horror movies made before you were born? You are missing out! All of those great films! Most are on physical media or streaming... for your screaming pleasure!
Happy Halloween Month!
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