Pre-Code Horror Released On This Day

The Vampire Bat, an independent horror film of the pre-code years in the early 1930's,  put into wide release today 85 years ago today.  It features my favorite pre-code horror duo of scream queen Fay Wray and perennial horror menace Lionel Atwill, featuring relative newcomer Melvyn Douglas.  It is now currently in the public domain.  The film is on several YouTube channels, the best copy of which can be found here.

Released On This Date

Groundbreaking directed Oscar Micheaux's horror/crime film The Spider's Web was released on this date in 1927.  It was filmed on location in Baltimore, Maryland and stars Evelyn Preer and Lorenzo McClane. The film was self produced by Micheaux's own company.

Born Today September 6: Max Schreck

Max Schreck:  1879-1936

Born Friedrich Gustav Maximillian Schreck on September 6, 1879 in Berlin-Friedenau, Germany, his is the most definitely the most famous face (albeit in heavy makeup) of the silent era in the modern age!  Even the youngest people with any passing knowledge of film know his face.  For a while as a child he lived in Friedenau proper, which has a very interesting history all it's own.  As he got older, he became more and more enamored with the theater, of which is father thoroughly disapproved.  His mother, however, secretly gave him money to study acting, which he did enthusiastically, graduating and got work in a number of live productions all across the country until he ended up in Berlin and Munich.  It was after this point that he began to work in films.  Despite that he's only known widely across the world for Nosferatu (1922), he acted in over 20 silent films (as the silent era lasted much longer in Germany than it did in the US), with his first talkie in 1930 funnily enough being a musical (The Land Of Smiles).  Nosferatu was basically the only horror film he acted in, however he was in one Sci-Fi talkie in 1933 entitled The Tunnel.  It turns out that the vast majority of the films he appeared in were comedies.  He had a reputation of being a rather strange character, a loner, and apparently spent a good deal of time wandering around in forests.  Despite this, he apparently also possessed a unique (some said unusual) sense of humor, and like his American contemporary Lon Chaney Sr., he had a talent for playing grotesque characters, and didn't mind make-up jobs, that other actors had no patience for.  This was helped by the fact that he stood 6'3".  His life was cut short at the age of 56 of a heart attack.  Due to his theater training, he had successfully made the transition into talkies, only to pass away from an early onset of heart failure.  Right up until his death he continued to do live theater; in fact, the night before his death he took a stand-in role as "The Great Inquisitor" in Don Carlos.  His obituary apparently made no mention of Nosferatu (as it was not the well known film then as it became), but rather highly praised a live performance as "The Miser" in a Moliére's comedy.  He is buried in the German cemetery located near Brandenburg--Wilmersdorfer Waldfriedhof Stahndorf. 

Publicity photo of Schreck from 1922, year of Nosferatu

Silent Film Credits

Der Richter von Zalamea (1920)

Der zeugende Tod (1921) (a mystery film)

Der Roman der Christine von Herre (1921)

Am Narrenseil, 2. Teil--Rätsel der Kriminalistik (1921)

Nosferatu (1922) (as Graf Orlok, his first Horror film)

Nathan der Weise (1922) (formerly lost film, essentially banned in Bavaria by intimidation from the early Nazi party who considered it "Jewish propaganda." It is a historical drama.)

The Jew of Mestri (1924) (shot in 1923, premiered in Finland in 1924, based on Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice.)

Die Straße (1923) (a drama)

The Mysteries Of A Hairdresser's Shop (1923) (comedic short, just over 30 minutes long, this remained an unreleased short for years.)

Finances Of The Grand Duke (1924) (A comedy.  A Murnau film, the only other time he worked with the director.)

Dudu, ein Menschenschicksal (1924)

Krieg im Frieden (1925)

Der rosa Diamant (1926

Out Of The Mist (1927)

Am Rande der Welt (1927) (a drama)

The Case Of Captain Ramper (1927) (a drama)

The Old Fritz (1928)

Dona Juana (1928) (a drama)

Der alte Fritz - 2. Ausklang (1928)

Luther (1929) (a biographical and historical drama based on the life of Martin Luther.  Filmed in 1928.)

Scampolo (1928) (a comedy)

Rasputins Liebesabenteur (1928) (an historical drama)

Teenager's Republic (1929) (filmed in 1928)

Modoerne Piraten (1928)

Serenissimus und die letzte Jungfrau (1928)

Volga, Volga (1928) (a drama)

Flight Of The Tertia (1929)

Ludwig der Zweite, Kônig von Bayern (1930) (a biographical historical drama)

Schreck on the stage.

Entrance into the graveyard where Schreck is buried--the whole cemetery is located in an old grove forest.

Silent Horror Still Post Of Day

From Kurutta ippeji, a Japanese horror film dating from the year 1926.  Happy Halloween.

Horror Still Of The Day

From the 1926 horror/mystery The Bat, which was later remade in the in 1950's (as a talking picture, of course) with Mr. Vincent Price.  Full film below.

Horror Image Of The Day

From the 1928 horror film The Fall Of The House Of Usher.  

Countdown To Halloween Movie Celebration

I know I posted this last year, but I'm such a Melies fan, I figured, what the hell....re-post!  This represented one of the earliest horror movies.  Happy Early Halloween

The man himself.

Silent Horror Image Of The Day

From Melies 1896 The Devil's Castle AKA The House Of The Devil

Welcome To The 2014 Countdown To Halloween!

Haxan Mixed Gallery

In Mexico the day we call Halloween is known as Dia de las Brujas or Day of the Witches; so with that in mind here is are some stills celebrating Mexico's take on the day, with a gallery from the most famous witchcraft film ever made in the silent era:  Häxan:  Witchcraft Through The Ages!

Dante's Inferno (1911)

The is the world's oldest surviving feature length film of any genre...so it's kind of cool that the genre is Horror!  And believe me, this is one hell (pun intended) of a horror film!! Happy Halloween!

Summoning The Spirits (1899)

Another haunted Melies short from the 1890's.

You Tube Ghost Photos

Someone put this together to some pretty dramatic music.  Some of these photos are really famous...some are obviously just fakes.

The Bewitched Inn (1897)

Another early haunted horror trick film from Melies.

Nosteratu (1922) Stills

Black and White Stills:

Gold Tone Sepia Prints:

Blue Toned Prints

Rose Tone Prints