La Maison ensorcelée
Directed bySegundo de Chomón
Distributed byPathé Frères
Release date
  • 1906 (1906)
Running time
6 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageSilent film

La Maison ensorcelée (literally "The Ensorcelled House" from French, English: The House of Ghosts,[1] also known as The Witch House)[2] is a 1906[3] French short film directed by Segundo de Chomón. The film features stop-motion animation and is considered to be one of the earliest cinematic depictions of a haunted house premise.[4][5]

Plot

Two men and a woman stop at a small house in the woods. Inside, they experience numerous instances of paranormal activity, including disappearing furniture; a stereotypical ghost; movement of cutlery and food on their own; ball lightning; unexplained tilting of the entire home; and a grotesque being with claw-like fingers that attempts to eat the trio.[4]

Legacy

The film inspired director Jennifer Kent, and was included in a scene in her 2014 horror film The Babadook.[2][6]

References

  1. ^ "The genius of Segundo de Chomón". The Bioscope. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b Evry, Max (31 October 2014). "10 Movies That Scared 'Babadook' Director Jennifer Kent Into Filmmaking". Shutterstock. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  3. ^ The House of Ghosts (1906) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-03-08
  4. ^ a b G., Stef (2 October 2014). "Retropiece Theater: The Haunted House (1908)". GeekMundo. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Indie Ghost Story "Dwelling" Adds New Depth To Haunted House Flicks". We Are Indie Horror. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  6. ^ "The Babadook - Production Notes" (PDF). South Australian Film Corporation. February 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2016.

External links

Films directed by Segundo de Chomón
Categories