La maison Ensorcelée (1908)
*** (out of 4)
This French film is yet another one influenced by the work of the great Georges Melies. This one here comes from director Segundo de Chomon who took Melies ideas and made them a little bigger. The story is pretty basic as three people are stranded walking in the rain so they enter an old house and it turns out to be haunted. Inside the house the trio have visions appear, chairs and other furniture disappear and they even face a demon. LA MAISON ENSORCELEE isn't a masterpiece and I'd say it's not quite as good as Melies' best work but fans of trick films will still want to check this out. I think the best thing in the film is the wonderful looking demon that pops up at the end. With the ugly teeth, messed up face and weird horns, this demon is something I'm sure scared the hell out of people back in 1908. I also liked another scene that was previously done in 1907's THE HAUNTED HOTEL and that's a table of food and coffee that comes to life. The sequence is somewhat different in this film but it's nicely done and quite effective. The director also manages to build up a rather good atmosphere that helps the film.
*** (out of 4)
This French film is yet another one influenced by the work of the great Georges Melies. This one here comes from director Segundo de Chomon who took Melies ideas and made them a little bigger. The story is pretty basic as three people are stranded walking in the rain so they enter an old house and it turns out to be haunted. Inside the house the trio have visions appear, chairs and other furniture disappear and they even face a demon. LA MAISON ENSORCELEE isn't a masterpiece and I'd say it's not quite as good as Melies' best work but fans of trick films will still want to check this out. I think the best thing in the film is the wonderful looking demon that pops up at the end. With the ugly teeth, messed up face and weird horns, this demon is something I'm sure scared the hell out of people back in 1908. I also liked another scene that was previously done in 1907's THE HAUNTED HOTEL and that's a table of food and coffee that comes to life. The sequence is somewhat different in this film but it's nicely done and quite effective. The director also manages to build up a rather good atmosphere that helps the film.