Short of the Week: Watch one of the first-ever haunted house movies
Throughout the genre’s extensive history, horror films have routinely utilised the framework of a specific haunted space to create some of their most memorable experiments. Haunted houses have been one of the most popular tropes favoured by filmmakers across decades, especially due to their versatility and the possibilities they generate. They draw the audience into an unsettlingly familiar domain of domesticity, violently disrupting that familiarity with visions of the supernatural.
For this edition of Short of the Week, we are actually highlighting one of the first haunted house films ever made. Titled The House of Ghosts, it’s a seminal work by the great Spanish director Segundo de Chomón. Often compared to the finest illusionist of silent cinema – Georges Méliès, Chomón mastered the unique language of trick cinematography and used the special effects of the time to create some truly memorable experiences.
Ranging from mainstream examples such as The Conjuring to more avant-garde efforts like Hausu, haunted houses can be just as entertaining as they can be disturbing. The House of Ghosts focused on the former aspect, following the misadventures of three travellers who decide to stop at a house in the woods. Their journey takes a strange turn once they enter the house, being subjected to all kinds of paranormal activity.
The House of Ghosts shouldn’t really be judged as a proper horror film because the genre was still in its nascent stages when it was made. Instead, it should be appreciated for what it is – a contemporary of Méliès’ transgressive experiments with the cinematic medium. In fact, many of the special effects in Chomón’s work are reminiscent of Méliès’ treatment of haunted spaces – especially in iconic films such as The Black Imp.
During an interview, Jennifer Kent – the director of The Babadook – explained how Chomón influenced her work. She said (via shutterstock): “La Maison Ensorcelée, that’s the Segundo de Chomón piece. Segundo de Chomón is a lesser-known genius. All his films are around the same time as Méliès, and they have a similar quality. They’re very childlike because now they’re naïve — we know how those tricks are done, but there’s a brutality to them. It seems like a perfect blend to me for a storybook. Those old stories are childlike, but there’s something dark and brutal about them.”
Although the scares of The House of Ghosts are delightfully silly, it has many fascinating segments. The one that I will never forget is the incredible scene where possessed cutlery prepare meals on their own and even clean up after themselves!
Watch the film below.
