The Haunted Castle | |
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An image from the film The Haunted Castle |
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Directed by | Georges Méliès |
Produced by | Georges Méliès |
Written by | Georges Méliès |
Starring | Jeanne d'Alcy Georges Méliès |
Editing by | Craig Herring |
Studio | Star Films |
Distributed by | Georges Méliès |
Release date(s) | December 24, 1896 |
Running time | 3 minutes |
Country | France |
Language | Silent |
The Haunted Castle [1] (French: Le Manoir du Diable which means "The Manor of the Devil") is a 1896 three-minute-long French film by Georges Méliès and number 78-80 on the Star Films catalog.[1] The film contained many traditional pantomime elements and was intentionally meant to amuse people, rather than frighten them. Nonetheless, it is considered by many to be the first horror film, as well as the first vampire film.[2] The Haunted Castle is now in the public domain.[3][4]
In English, this film has been known as The Haunted Castle, The Devil's Castle, The Devil's Manor, and The Manor of the Devil.[5]
It was released on Christmas Eve, 1896, at the Theatre Robert Houdin, 8 boulevard des Italiens, Paris.
Contents |
The film starts off with a large bat flying into a medieval castle. Once in, the bat circles slowly while flapping its monstrous wings before suddenly changing into Mephistopheles (Georges Méliès). After preparing a cauldron, the demon produces skeletons, ghosts, and witches from its bubbling contents before one of the summoned underworld cavaliers holds up a crucifix and Satan vanishes in a blast of smoke.
The Haunted Castle was released on February 16, 2010 as part of a DVD box set called "Georges Melies: Encore" by Flicker Alley.[6]