74) House of the Devil (1896)

House of the Devil

Director

Georges Méliès

I don't know if French film maker, Georges Méliès, is considered the grandfather of movie special effects. If not, he ought to be. Being an illusionist who utilized many technical developments in the earliest days of cinema, such as splicing, multiple film exposures, time lapse, scene dissolves, and early forms of film colorization that involved painting film, Méliès is most certainly a founding father of storytelling in film. Plus, he's known for being one of the first film makers to use storyboards. 

On top of these achievements, he's also credited for producing what's believed to be the first horror movie, House of the Devil. 

It was once considered a lost film until it was discovered at a New Zealand film archive in 1988. His groundbreaking, albeit very early, techniques are present in this short movie.

Since House of the Devil has a runtime slightly over three minutes, I watched this movie on my lunch break. Not all the horror movies I'm venturing through need to be an hour or more in running time. Anyways, the first claimed horror film needs to be counted among these 1,000 titles.

House of the Devil has a thin story line. Though being an early film, Méliès shows his masterfulness in impressing audiences with phenomenal visuals and effects. 

It begins inside a castle where a bat transforms into a slave of the devil named Mephistopheles - the demon known in German folklore whom Faust sold his soul to. 

With the assistance of a minion, Mephistopheles begins to conjure up demons in various forms through spells cast with a cauldron. 

Meanwhile, two men enter the castle where the demons try to scare them by manifesting in terrible forms. 

In the end *spoiler alert* one of the men produces a large crucifix to cast Mephistopheles out for good. Using camera pauses to create the illusion of spirit conjuring and disappearances, it's truly a fascinating film experiment. It deserves more than my mentioning it here.

House of the Devil was produced before Méliès's more famous silent film A Trip to the Moon - an early science fiction movie from 1902. Its iconic scene of a rocket lodged in the eye of the moon's face is still often seen today. 

Méliès is a pioneer of movie magic with his special effects, careful and truly imaginary artistic scenery like those of a stage play. He's also the first to create fictional narratives. 

Movies of this time were generally novel films depicting ordinary scenes in everyday life such as The Kiss (1896) by Thomas Edison. The title pretty much sums up that 30 second film. A man is seen flirting cheek to cheek with a lady, until the two engage in a simple, classy kiss. It was considered risque' at the time. It's pure and innocent by today's standards, of course. 

French film makers Auguste and Louis Lumiere, brothers who were pioneers of motion pictures, are known for making such movies. Their movies have the impression of using motion picture cameras to take ordinary yet moving photos as though the brothers were using a regular still photography camera. These "Actuality Films," also called "Actualities" such as The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat, Baby's Breakfast, The Gardener and  Blacksmiths normally had a runtime of 30 to 40 seconds. And like The Kiss, their titles explain the subject matter. No story, necessarily. Rather, moving pictures of ordinary things. Still life in motion right before your very eyes.

Méliès saw these Actualities and harnessed their potential as a new and novel medium in story telling. 

He portrayed extravagant science fiction, fantasy and in this case, thriller stories through on-camera physical transformations, magical acts, characters disappearing on screen right in front of audience's eyes, and other remarkable scenes audiences of the day had never seen in a picture before. 

Mephistopheles summons a figure from a cauldron.

House of the Devil depicts the ultimate battle in every horror movie. With limited tools, Méliès manages to portray the ultimate good symbolized through the faith of the two men and the crucifix against the ultimate evil depicted in Mephistopheles and his sinister sorcery. 

The movie isn't necessarily meant to terrify audiences though images of a skeleton and demonic presences must have done just that with early film goers. Rather, it's visually displaying that eternal conflict which had never been portrayed in motion picture. It's this motif that became the foundation for all horror movies to follow decade after decade. Of course, it's a battle as old has mankind. Evil is ugly, proud, and fearful of good. Good, meanwhile, is strong and never fails to finally defeat evil. Never!

Movies this early didn't have credits.

So, it's believed among film historians that magician Jules Eugene Legris, who appears in A Trip to the Moon, portrays Mephistopheles. And many historians are certain stage actress Jehanne D'Alcy is the woman who appears out of the cauldron. 

D'Alcy appears in other Méliès's films, and eventually became his wife. 

Other silent horror pictures were made shortly after Méliès film, all before the turn of the century - A Terrible Night, A Nightmare, The X-Ray Fiend, The Bewitched Inn, Photographing A Ghost, The Cave of the Demons, Resurrection of a Corpse, Jizo the Spook, The Joyous Skeleton and The Miser's Doom to drop a generous number of titles.  

The horror genre has Méliès to thank for implementing the solid foundational truth that in any horror movie, good must face evil in some way or another. And no matter how nightmarish evil's looming presence is, there is always a way to conquer it. It's up to the protagonist to find that narrow path that leads to victory. At least, until evil returns in the dreaded horror sequel. 

73) The Canterville Ghost (1986)

When a golden girl can win prayer from out the lips of sin, when the barren almond bears and a little child gives 'way her tears, then shall all the house be still and peace come to Canterville.

Director

Paul Bogart

Cast

John Gielgud - Sir Simon de Canterville

Ted Wass - Harry Canterville

Andrea Marcovicci - Lucy Canterville

Alyssa Milano - Jennifer Canterville

Lila Kaye - Mrs. Umney

Harold Innocent - Hummle Umney

I'm dragging this movie out from a lonely, overlooked space somewhere in a dark crevasse of my memory. Old memories such as watching the 1986 made-for-TV movie The Canterville Ghost have a tendency to jump out at the most random and unlikely of times.

They may be old, murky, and dusty...but not completely forgotten. The memory of this film, based on the classic short story by Oscar Wilde, faintly popped out in my head like a neglected childhood toy suddenly finding enough juice to go off after years of neglect. 

My dad recorded this movie off the television. I was five years old at the time. And for reasons I cannot remember, I often watched it. 

This was the era of bad reception, bunny ears, and tracking control via knobs and such on the TV set. So, our copy wasn't the clearest picture. But it was clear enough to burn a few images in my mind through the soft television static. 

I admit I haven't read Wilde's short story. Still, I'm judging the movie and not the source material. Any deviations from the story, and I'm sure there's a lot, are lost on me. 

The movie begins with Harry Canterville (Ted Wass) en route to his recently inherited Canterville Castle, located in a small English town, with his second wife Lucy Swackhammer Canterville (Andrea Marcovicci) and his young daughter from a former marriage, Jennifer (Alyssa Milano).

They're moving to their new home from Cleveland, Ohio, so it's quite a cultural change.

As soon as they arrive and meet Harry's English relatives at the Canterville Estate, the eccentric aunts and uncles try to disguise their apprehensiveness in knowing the shamed ghost of Harry's ancestor, Sir Simon de Canterville, haunts the place.

Simon allegedly killed his wife, Eleanor, centuries ago. After her death, he is said to have disappeared without a trace. And no one has ever found his remains. 

He spends his afterlife scaring away all who attempt to reside in the castle. 

However, the Cantervilles must live there for at least three months in order to take full possession. 

The unrested spirit of Sir Simon doesn't hesitate to show his disdain for the new inhabitants, and wastes no time trying to scare them off. 

When they arrive and begin to settle in, Simon appears to them on the staircase while they're being taken to their rooms.

He tries to terrify them, but Harry and Lucy think the specter is nothing more than a special effect set up by Harry's off-center relatives to discourage them from taking up residence, and preventing the castle from falling into his possession. 

Jennifer, however, who witnessed the butler, Hummle Umney, lift off the ground and disappear earlier, believes Sir Simon's ghost is real and does indeed haunt the castle. 

Later that night, she sees a green orb floating through the hallways. She follows it up to the attic, where she sees Simon's ghost sitting at a desk.

When she calls to him, Simon tries to scare her but Jennifer stands firm and refuses to let fear force her to run. 

Instead, Jennifer talks to Simon asking if he'd be willing to scare her stepmother away from her dad, and from their lives. 

Simon returns to his normal spectral form, a bit dumbfounded to find a living person not terrified by his presence. 

Alyssa Milano and Sir John Gielgud.

He tells Jennifer that he hasn't slept in 300 years, and would do anything just to have a rest. 

Simon then agrees to try and scare Lucy.

Lucy, however, thinks all the frights she soon after encounters are tricks set up by Harry's family. 

She holds a dinner party where she opens up to Harry's family about their alleged efforts to scare them off. 

The family emphasizes that they're not trying to scare them off, that Sir Simon's ghost is real, and that they need Harry to take possession of the castle to keep it in the family. 

As supper begins, Simon manifests himself in such a freaky way, Lucy and Harry run out of the dining room convinced the castle is actually haunted. 

During all this time, Simon and Jennifer begin to form a friendship. 

One of Jennifer's classmates tells her about the allegations against Simon as the two kids visit Simon and Eleanor's grave site. Simon's grave doesn't have a date of death engraved on it which sparks Jennifer's curiosity. 

Simon appears to the two at the gravesite, scaring off Jennifer's classmate. 

She refuses to talk to him after that.

Simon later attempts to amend his friendship with Jennifer, revealing to her exactly what happened to him 300 years ago, and why he is in a perpetual state of unrest and doomed to remain in the castle. 

Jennifer tells Simon about her dad's plans to accept an offer on the castle from a company that wants to turn it into an elaborate inn and resort. 

Simon requests a meeting with her dad during which he makes a bargain with Harry that he'll cease his hauntings if Harry doesn't sell the castle. 

It might sound like a convoluted storyline, but it's not. 

There are a few scenes from this movie that scared me as a child. They've stayed in my collective memory alongside other scary scenes from other movies. 

For instance, when Jennifer first goes to speak with Simon, he tries to scare her by turning into a giant head with an amplified, looming voice. 

And during the dinner scene with Harry's family, their cook Mrs. Umney brings out a silver platter with a dome lid covering the main course.

As the guests are discussing the many horrific ways Simon has manifested himself, Mrs. Umney lifts the lid to reveal the entrée' has been replaced with Simon's head. He begins to shout and laugh demonically as all the food on the dining table explodes. Disembodied heads is what did it for me back then as far as scares go. 

Seeing it now, this version of The Canterville Ghost feels like a Disney Channel production. The entire ghost aspect starts off comical, and becomes watered down throughout the movie all the way until the end. 

In fact, I wondered if Simon really was a ghost. He repeats how he "wants to die" so that he can finally find the rest he yearns for. But he's a ghost already. Is he half dead? 

I also don't think the writers had a grasp on what a ghost actually is, or what limitations dead people have. 

In one scene, Simon eats a plate of cookies he stole moments before. Also, after spending a couple days at Eleanor's grave site in the chilly English weather, Simon catches a cold. 

Jennifer persuades him to return to the castle to rest (despite his inability to do just that). Back in the castle attic, Simon bundles up and soaks his feet in hot water as Jennifer tries to nurse him back to health. He asks her to open the window. She replies that he'll "die of pneumonia" if she opens it. 

"Do you really think so," he says. Again, is he half-dead? This films vision of the afterlife, and all it entails as far as ghosts are concerned, isn't explained.

Did the writers forget Simon died 300 years ago? He's a ghost! It's in the title. During production, surely someone said out loud "wait...ghosts don't eat cookies and catch colds."  

Since watching this movie through my seven year old eyes, I have gained a lot more respect and appreciation for actor Sir John Gielgud as I've seen him in some great movies- The Elephant Man, Murder By Decree, and Becket to name a few. I became a fan of Gielgud after watching him portray Pope Pius XII in the 1983 movie The Scarlet and the Black with Gregory Peck. 

He certainly gives this character from the mind of Oscar Wilde the respect it deserves. As he delivers his lines about all the scares through the centuries Simon proudly reflects on, Gielgud appears to be having fun with the role. 

Sir John Gielgud as Simon de Canterville 

Simon isn't completely scary as much as he is emotionally wounded. He's a spirit who yearns for externals which he can't obtain. All he has is the inner turmoil he died with. 

Sir Simon is a spirit bitter, resentful, and sad. He's been stuck in his purgatorial state for 300 years. And for 300 years, when every living person Sir Simon encounters reacts in fear, he's going to be expect fear. He'll fuel it. This is were Gielgud seems to be having fun.

His 17th century costume with an ornate Medici style collar, and long frizzled white hair is iconic.

But Gielgud's performance contrasts Milano's lackluster acting. The only time I caught any emotion from her character was when she tells herself how cute her classmate is. 

There's a lot of major turning points in Jennifer's life. She moves to a new country. She tells her dad and step-mother how much she misses her friends. She's not fond of her step-mom. She misses her real mother whom we learn previously passed away. And she makes continual contact with the soul of a 300-year old ancestor. 

Still, Milano shows little to no convincing emotion. She says her lines telling the audience what they need to know, and that's all. Nothing much about Milano's performance stands out. She doesn't shine with the same charisma as Gielgud. His mastery doesn't mix with Milano's seemingly unenthused performance. 

Watching Gielgud in The Canterville Ghost 30-something years later, when I know more things than I did back when I was a kid, I can now appreciate what he does in this movie. 

Overall, it was fun to watch The Canterville Ghost in a nostalgic way. Of course, not everyone has that same particular nostalgia as I have.

For those who haven't seen this movie before, they might find it fun with its Disney-esque feel similar to other Disney ghost movies such as Blackbeard's Ghost and The Ghosts of Buxley Hall. 

Otherwise, if it wasn't for Sir John Gielgud presence, I would leave this movie in the dark corner of my mind were I've kept it all these years. 

I Saw 'Em All: Tremors (1990 - 2020)

My overall thoughts on the series...

For those gracious enough to spare some time to listen to my podcast at anchor.fm/1000DaysOfHorror, then perhaps you followed me as I meandered my way through all seven movies in the Tremors series during October. I appreciate that immensely, even if my listenership is about 10 people at the moment. I like the idea of dedicating time to an entire franchise.

Unlike many monster flicks, Tremors offers something both original and unique. 

The graboids, as they're called throughout the films, are a natural species that have somehow remained undiscovered since who knows when. And they sense their prey by sound vibrations. 

As far as we know, these monsters aren't space creatures. Nor are they from another realm or dimension. They're not some unholy, unnatural fluke of nature like something cooked up thanks to a military experiment gone badly. I think they've always been out in the desert surviving on... what? I don't know!

Tremors is a science fiction horror comedy film with a western taste. There's not too many mainstream horror films like Tremors. Yet it easily manages to be a horror comedy on par with movies such as Gremlins and Ghostbusters. It leans a little into the realm of cheesy comedy but maintains a serious enough tone and plot that's certainly does not induce eye-rolls.   

All the characters residing in the fictional town of Perfection, Nevada (population 14) fit in so well among each other. They're likeable, and easy to grow invested in. This fades sequel by sequel. By Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell, I could absolutely care less if any of the characters die. In fact, all I remember about the characters in part six is that there were two girls and this one guy who just spouts some science-y terms. I'm probably wrong on the numbers. 

In the first movie, married couple and survivalists Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) and Heather Gummer (Reba McEntire) are two such likeable characters. 

They live in a bunker type house away from peering government eyes, with a stock pile of weaponry that isn't far from the truth yet still makes me laugh.

Rather than just tackle the worms with bullets, Burt conjures up a variety of militaristic ways to kill these things such as bombs attached to remote controlled cars. 

Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward in the lead roles as Val McKee and Earl Bass is a good casting decision. If only they stuck around through the sequels to be the graboid's arch-nemeses like Dracula's Van Helsing, or Michael Myer's Lori Strode. These two play so well off of each other, they may have had potential to be a popular duo in the horror genre. Though Fred Ward returns for Tremors 2: Aftershocks, part one was all we saw of them together which is probably why the first in the series is the best.

There are great character actors in part one as well such as Charlotte Stewart (Eraserhead) and Victor Wong (Big Trouble in Little China). Many of them return in Tremors 3: Back to Perfection which makes the third film one of the better sequels. 

But the first movie could use just a bit more solid foundation in the story. For instance, what did these worms eat before intruding upon Perfection? Why do we have shots from the worm's point of view as they travel underground when these worms are blind and locate their prey by vibrations? And why have these worms been an unknown species until now, especially when considering their incredibly large size? Backstory would come in handy for the sake of audience interest.

The build up is memorable in the first film. There are two scenes that have stayed in my mind since I first saw part one back in 1990. 

In one scene, Val and Earl discover a friend of theirs, Edgar, high up on a power line. After a rock, paper, scissors competition to determine who's going to go up there and get him, Val climbs up and find that Edgar is dead. 

When the doctor examines the late Edgar, he determines that Edgar died from dehydration.

The second scene occurs when Val and Earl drive past farmer Fred's heard of sheep. All they find left of the sheep are carcasses and sheep parts. 

When they start calling out for Fred, Val finds the farmer's dirty brown hat on the ground. He picks it up, and underneath is Fred's face poking out of the soil, the shock of pain and fear still frozen on this face. 

That particular scene is what gave me nightmares as a kid - I was nine years old at the time of its release.  

I think, overall, the premise of man-eating worms sensing prey through vibrations is a fun idea, but is stretched thinner and thinner, sequel by sequel. 

There are good things to be found in each movie. 

But how do you continue the storyline of man-eating monsters chasing people and make it interesting and fun rather than repetitive and boring?  

The Tremors sequels (especially parts two and five) clearly took some inspiration from Jurassic Park, but only changed settings and species in the general story line, especially in a scene in part five with the bipedal shrieker is chasing two victims through a kitchen. I talked about this in my podcast. 

Some things in the sequels are fun and entertaining. Still by the time I got to part seven, I was anxious to be done with Tremors. There just wasn't enough new, original material to keep me invested. 

Where the sequels fail is in imagination (more or less), and exploring more about the graboids save for their unusual life cycle from worm, to bipedal heat-sensing creatures, to ass blasters, to baby worms that molt into graboids. 

There's more room for exploration in Tremors than in a franchise like Jurassic Park. Dinosaurs are certainly more implemented in facts than graboids.

By part six, I was 100 percent convinced the franchise was reduced to just one big cash grab, leaving nothing for audiences to care about. All the main characters are gone, except for Michael Gross's recurring character. By the last movie, Burt Gummer was starting to become repetitive.   

Nevertheless, the first movie is an enjoyable movie that works very well with so much going for it.  

I intend to dedicate more months next year to other horror franchises - The Omen, The Amityville Horror, Puppet Master, Phantasm, Hellraiser, Children of the Corn to throw out some titles. 

December will be "SequelCember" as I'll be looking at various horror sequels throughout the month! 

Other reviews coming soon...