THE HAUNTED CASTLE (1896)
aka Le manoir du diable
Article 3164 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 2-11-2010
Posting Date: 4-13-2010
Directed by Georges Melies
Featuring Jeanne d’Alcy and Georges Melies
Country: France
What it is: The first horror movie

Two travelers arrive at an ancient castle and find themselves tormented by Mephistopheles.

The first horror movie? The claim is pretty good; unlike many of Melies’s films, he doesn’t appear to be trying for laughs here. It’s a simple, straightforward compendium of basic Melies tricks, with items and people vanishing, reappearing and transforming in front of your eyes. It must have been a real sensation in its day, and is certainly important historically.