While horror movie watching is a year-round event, this is that time of year when all of us can flourish, embracing the weird.
So, come one, come all, beasties unite! It’s Haunt-Tober time!
Magic. I say this word often and with good reason. Movies, in all of their delicate glory, are pieces of pixie dust sprinkled through our television screens.
The three silent films from 1900-1903 that I am about to discuss conjure such a word. These moving pictures are our history, our start, and they are feats of ingenuity and creativity.
In a sense the first three all feel like a magic show. The way the ghosts appear and reappear or woman is severed in half. For their time the editing and design are fantastically eerie and doesn’t require a word. All three are from various places around the world.
Faust and Marguerite (1900) –Edwin S. Porter
This is a one minute short and it works like a single line story would on camera. It isn’t flashy but this story, based on a play, provides depth in a small dose.
Sometimes less is more. This inspires more mystery and questions than anything but its question mark is an enticing one to contemplate.
When a man tries to convince another to behead a woman and he refuses, he takes her place.
This US production isn’t the most stylistic or expansive, but it still leaves a mark on its viewer.
The Haunted Curiosity Shop (1901) –Walter R. Booth
My favorite of the trio, The Haunted Curiosity Shop is a ghostly delight.
It seems that there are some spirits amidst the store. These hauntings weave in and out and strike quite the curiosity from the store owner.
It’s a simple enough premise that never feels that way. Sometimes, a gentle apparition based tale is enough. The fact that Walter R. Booth was a magician is no surprise this UK film serves as a bewitching experience and showcase for the performer.
The Infernal Cauldron (1903) – Georges Méliès
This fun little number feels somehow more fantastical than the others, a rich lineup of moments that pop off the screen. The set design is a lively renaissance looking background.
The cauldron is getting fed as a demon throws three individuals inside. When they turn into flames they seek revenge and chase the demon down. Eventually, it feasts on one more as he leaps inside.
This French silent film boasts imagination that would inspire many a horror and fantasy to come.
As trailblazers for cinema to come, each deserves a watch, and all three are easily available to track down online!
Today’s winners:
Wonderfully Weird & Horrifying 