The Haunted Castle (1896)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  6 / 10

  Le Manoir Du Diable utilises its spooky themes to evoke amusement rather than fear. Titled 'The Devil's Castle' here in the UK, it is claimed to be the very first "horror" film due to the imagery of spectres, demons and vampirism. In actual fact, it's intended to be a comedic fantasy short where the Devil conjures up phantoms to subdue two cavaliers who have entered a medieval castle. Méliès managed to translate pantomime to motion picture, where the results have surprisingly aged well considering it's over 120 years old (1896). The costumes exhume a cheesy Halloween style that your children would dress up in, and the accentuated body movements of Méliès and his cast enhanced the physical comedy style. Méliès' usage of the quick cut editing technique does seem viscerally raw, where the lack of seamless transitions make the illusory disappearing effect incredibly noticeable, but however marks him as one of the finest experimentalists of that era. The plot may not be as cohesive as 'Le Voyage Dans La Lune" and the abrupt cutoff point might leave you wanting more, yet it's undeniably imaginative. Méliès pioneered cinema with an array of genre firsts and, considering this was presumed lost until 1988, am fortunate he was able to convey his crazy fantasy thoughts onto film. A simple three minute short that is very rough around the edges, but allowed an illusionist to bewilder his audience through ghostly magic.

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