HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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October 31: The Scarlet Crystal (1917)

 

The Scarlet Crystal was a crime drama with supernatural elements. The titular crystal hails from ancient Egypt and allows a gazer to see visions of the future, or rather future horrible harm and violence. Several of the characters experience the visions, the most intense of which happens to Vincent Morgan (Herbert Rawlinson). The visions of horror that he sees involve the harm to Peggy Worth (Betty Schade) and her invalid mother. The fore-warning allows Vincent to wholly avoid the dreaded outcome and insure the safety of both  Peggy and her mother. The film apparently sported a special "crystal vision" effect. Though it wasn't the first film that "framed" visions and thoughts in a visual fashion, it had to be one of the earliest to create a an effect that conveyed visually (instead providing an explanation on title cards) a special movable cue to indicate an supernatural event was taking place.  Though not the star of the film, the most well known member of the cast was Dorothy Davenport. From the famous Davenport theatrical family; she was just as likely to be credited as "Mrs. Wallace Reid" during this time. She would go on to be one of the only female film producers in Hollywood in the 1930's. 

Spooktober Ends: Halloween 2021

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Theda At A Costume Party! Happy Halloween Everyone!

This is a photo of Theda Bara with film director hubbie Charles Brabin many years after she quit acting at "fancy dress party," given by Basil Rathbone.  Here is the US, of course, we call it a costume party.  It wasn't held on Halloween however; the event took place on 19 April 1938.  Still great Halloween photo too!  Found on The She Devil live journal--no further information could be found on who took the photo.  Would be really cool if it was Rathbone himself!

Silent Horror Montage

I stumbled on this on YouTube this morning--wonderful Montage from 4 silent horror films, two by Melies from 1896, one my Chomon from 1908 and quite a lot from the the truly demented Swedish/Danish film Haxan:  Witchcraft Through The Ages, by Danish born director Benjamin Christensen (for more information watch it over at YouTube).  Happy Halloween!!  Oh, and Feliz Dia de la Brujas to folks in down Mexico way!

Here is a link to my own photo tribute to Haxan from Halloween two years ago.