Georges' Haunted Castle - #3 of #100silentfilms

If you're like me (and I know I am), you were familiar with Georges Méliès before you even knew who he was. Why? Because the iconic image of the moon with a rocket in his eye has been part of pop culture for more than 100 years. So even if you hadn't seen one of this early filmmaker's films, you had seen a smidge of one.

For those of you who have seen the movie "Hugo," you now know a lot more about Méliès (1861-1938) and his amazing talents for creating worlds. Before he made films, he was an illusionist, which makes perfect sense. Just watch "The Haunted Castle" ("Manoir du Diable") and you'll see what I mean.

 I did a search on YouTube for silent films, and the title caught my eye. I love anything spooky! Now I don't know if what I saw was the entire film, but it's pretty great nonetheless. People turning into bats, cauldrons appearing out of thin air, a circle of ghost paying ring-around-the-rosie. Fantastic! It's very playful and fun to watch. I love the tricks and humor of the story. It's really quite flawless in its execution, and it was made in 1896.

It's only 3:18 minutes long. Definitely check this one out!

-Minda

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Georges Méliès is buried in beautiful, gothic Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise in Paris, France. This photo was taken by Dean Carnegie and was originally posted on his blog, The Dead Conjurers. Please visit his blog to learn more.