The House of the Devil
With the help of a magic cauldron, Mephistopheles conjures up a variety of supernatural characters.
- Rated
- Not Rated
- Runtime
- 3m
- Released
- 1896
- Country
- France
Details
Release year: 1896
Storyline
With the help of a magic cauldron, Mephistopheles conjures up a variety of supernatural characters.
Top credits
- Jehanne d'Alcy — Young woman
- Jules-Eugène Legris — Mephistopheles
Georges Méliès — Mephistopheles
Did you know
• Film historians argue that this is the first film depiction of a vampire. While director and actor credited his character as Mephistopheles, a legendary demon, many horror elements associated with vampires exist in the film and are exhibited by the character. These include the transformation from bat to human form, conjuring a harem of demonic brides, apparent mesmeric control, and the ability to conjure humans and creatures to serve him. Many of vampire stereotypes featured here remained tropes in early films about vampires.
• Many film historians credit this short film with being the very first horror picture.
• The film was presumed lost until 1988, when a copy was found in the New Zealand Film Archive.
User reviews
Capturing the transformation n the gothic feel in 3 mins n that too in 1896 is truly amazing.
Innovative horror film-making
Experimentation With Remarkable Results
Technical specs
- Sound mix
- Silent
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
- Color
- Color, Black and White
