The first horror film was an 1896 Gothic vignette by French auteur Georges Melies entitled “Le Manoir du Diable.”
Key Points
Le Manoir du diable or The House of the Devil, released in the United States as The Haunted Castle and in Britain as The Devil’s Castle
A treasure discovered in the Manor’s vaults, hidden in its darkest and most remote recesses… The “Wizard of Montreuil,” Georges Méliès, tells a straightforward narrative about a nobleman who outwits a cunning Devil and his minions from the very beginning of cinema history. The scary movie is created!
Movie Summary
Mephistopheles, who summons a seductive courtesan from a boiling cauldron, appears as a giant bat in the manor of the same name. The manor is entered by a nobleman (Méliès) and his page. A pitchfork-wielding imp scares the page away, leaving the nobleman to face a skeleton before a pack of ominous ghosts. The courtesan is presented to the nobleman by the Devil, but right before his eyes, she transforms into an aged witch. More witches arrive, then disappear into thin air in an instant. Finally, the nobleman rushes on Mephisto, who vanishes in a cloud of smoke, and pulls a massive crucifix from the wall of the mansion.
Cast and Crew
Georges Méliès (Nobleman), Jehanne D’Alcy (Witch) Director: Georges Méliès
Producer/Cinematographer/Designer: George Méliès
Star Films, France.
Running Time 3 mins approx
