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Though the horror film was not officially born until Universal Pictures released Frankenstein in 1931, there were many silent films that contained terrifying scenes and horrific elements. Many of the early horror soundies drew much of their inspiration for visual design and thematic development from the silents. This filmography includes all silent films that were horrific in nature, containing one or more of the stock horror movie elements, e.g., haunted houses, ghosts, witches, monsters, the occult or hypnotism. Each entry includes release date, running time, cast and credit information, contemporary review quotes when available, and in the case of foreign films, the original title and country of origin.
Though the horror film was not officially born until Universal Pictures released Frankenstein in 1931, there were many silent films that contained terrifying scenes and horrific elements. Many of the early horror soundies drew much of their inspiration for visual design and thematic development from the silents. This filmography includes all silent films that were horrific in nature, containing one or more of the stock horror movie elements, e.g., haunted houses, ghosts, witches, monsters, the occult or hypnotism. Each entry includes release date, running time, cast and credit information, contemporary review quotes when available, and in the case of foreign films, the original title and country of origin.
During the Silent Era, when most films dealt with dramatic or comedic takes on the "boy meets girl, boy loses girl" theme, other motion pictures dared to tackle such topics as rejuvenation, revivication, mesmerism, the supernatural and the grotesque. A Daughter of the Gods (1916), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), The Magician (1926) and Seven Footprints to Satan (1929) were among the unusual and startling films containing story elements that went far beyond the realm of "highly unlikely." Using surviving documentation and their combined expertise, the authors catalog and discuss these departures from the norm in this encyclopedic guide to American horror, science fiction and fantasy in the years from 1913 through 1929.
TOME OF TERROR is a series of books detailing the history of the horror genre, from the mid-1890s to the present day
This book is aimed at the modern fan of horror and 'weird' cinema who wants to explore the early silent films in the genre, now routinely assumed to be fit only for academics and historians, and who would appreciate some advice about how and where to begin and what to look out for. Writer Jean Besquith and psychologist Simon James offer their own distinct critical reflections on twenty films that helped to kickstart the horror movie as we know it today, arguing along the way that each one is important not because it is of historical value but because it offers something that is still great in its own right. It's entirely wrong, but unfortunately quite common, to see all films from this period as somewhat primitive first steps in a journey that would eventually lead to the evolved sophistication of modern cinema. Besquith and James argue that to approach them assuming that they are 'missing' sound, or missing anything, is to miss the point. Needless to say, no one called them silent until the technology of synchronised sound became commonplace and the era of the talkies arrived. However, far from merely adding another string to the bow of the filmmaker, the addition of sound to films diverted their energy away from the visual and on to the verbal. No genre was hit harder by this than the horror film, whose impact had always relied, and still relies, less on dialogue and straightforward narrative than any other kind of film. These silent films often feature bravura camerawork, stunning set design, and a haunting, crepuscular atmosphere of the approaching night. The grain of early silent film stock possesses a tactile quality which, rather than obfuscating the images, lends them a particular kind of definition, the ghostly but emotionally vivid quality of repressed memories bursting into the mind's eye. If you are like many horror fans, and feel that the best films often feel like dreams, then you may be pleased to discover that these films are the most compellingly dreamlike of all. In this book the authors therefore celebrate the best of the earliest weird films that were still free of the constraints of synchronised sound in the hope that they will be embraced by newer fans, not as museum pieces but as the vital, living objects they are.
Author, screenwriter, director Steve Haberman offers a fascinating examination of ground-breaking, silent-era horror films films
Horror is one of the most enduringly popular genres in cinema. The term “horror film” was coined in 1931 between the premiere of Dracula and the release of Frankenstein, but monsters, ghosts, demons, and supernatural and horrific themes have been popular with American audiences since the emergence of novelty kinematographic attractions in the late 1890s. A Place of Darkness illuminates the prehistory of the horror genre by tracing the way horrific elements and stories were portrayed in films prior to the introduction of the term “horror film.” Using a rhetorical approach that examines not only early films but also the promotional materials for them and critical responses to them, Kendall R. Phillips argues that the portrayal of horrific elements was enmeshed in broader social tensions around the emergence of American identity and, in turn, American cinema. He shows how early cinema linked monsters, ghosts, witches, and magicians with Old World superstitions and beliefs, in contrast to an American way of thinking that was pragmatic, reasonable, scientific, and progressive. Throughout the teens and twenties, Phillips finds, supernatural elements were almost always explained away as some hysterical mistake, humorous prank, or nefarious plot. The Great Depression of the 1930s, however, constituted a substantial upheaval in the system of American certainty and opened a space for the reemergence of Old World gothic within American popular discourse in the form of the horror genre, which has terrified and thrilled fans ever since.
Fun and fright have long been partners in the cinema, dating back to the silent film era and progressing to the Scary Movie franchise and other recent releases. This guide takes a comprehensive look at the comedy-horror movie genre, from the earliest stabs at melding horror and hilarity during the nascent days of silent film, to its full-fledged development with The Bat in 1926, to the Abbott and Costello films pitting the comedy duo against Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy and other Universal Studio monsters, continuing to such recent cult hits as Shaun of the Dead and Black Sheep. Selected short films such as Tim Burton's Frankenweenie are also covered. Photos and promotional posters, interviews with actors and a filmography are included.
A former professor offers film critic Simon the chance of a lifetime—to write a book on one of the greatest long-lost comedians of the silent-film era, Tubby Thackeray. Simon is determined to find out the truth behind the jolly fat man's disappearance from film—and from the world. Tubby's work carries the unmistakable stamp of the macabre. People literally laughed themselves to death during his performances. Soon, wherever Simon goes, laughter—and a clown's wide, threatening grin—follow. Is Simon losing his mind? Or is Tubby Thackeray waiting for him to open the door back to the world? Ramsey Campbell has won a dozen British Fantasy and World Fantasy Awards and three Bram Stoker Awards. A new Campbell novel is an opportunity to delight in the craftsmanship of an extraordinary writer. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
In this volume, Stephen Prince has collected essays reviewing the history of the horror film and the psychological reasons for its persistent appeal, as well as discussions of the developmental responses of young adult viewers and children to the genre. The book focuses on recent postmodern examples such as The Blair Witch Project. In a daring move, the volume also examines Holocaust films in relation to horror. Part One features essays on the silent and classical Hollywood eras. Part Two covers the postWorld War II era and discusses the historical, aesthetic, and psychological characteristics of contemporary horror films. In contrast to horror during the classical Hollywood period, contemporary horror features more graphic and prolonged visualizations of disturbing and horrific imagery, as well as other distinguishing characteristics. Princes introduction provides an overview of the genre, contextualizing the readings that follow. Stephen Prince is professor of communications at Virginia Tech. He has written many film books, including Classical Film Violence: Designing and Regulating Brutality in Hollywood Cinema, 19301968, and has edited Screening Violence, also in the Depth of Field Series.