The House of Ghosts (1908)-Segundo De Chomon

Happy October everyone! To get into the Halloween spirit, I thought I’d share another Chomon short with you called The House of Ghosts.

The 1908 short film is known for two things: its innovative stop-motion and is one of the first films ever to use the concept of a haunted house.

Two men and a woman decide to stay in a house when they got lost in the forest. Immediately, the group is greeted with plenty amounts of paranormal activity. Aside from the typical disappearing and reappearing of furniture, as well as the white sheet looking ghost,  there is a largely grotesque creature that appears in the home who wants to eat the trio. They set up a dinner table. Then, the food, cutlery, and dishes begin to move. Just as the trio thinks that was amazing, they are in for a supernatural rollercoaster, literally! The house begins to tilt. And rather than trying to escape, the group tries to hide (unsuccessfully) in the home where the monster remains on the hunt. Who is this creature? Why is it in the house? Why doesn’t the group leave sooner?!

The scene where the food and cutlery mysteriously move by themselves is a fine example of how extraordinary special effects were in the 1900s silent film era. I couldn’t take my eyes off that scene. Not just because it made the food looked good, but the effects look precise. In a way, it felt like I was watching a dream sequence. It reminded me so much of the Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer’s surrealist stop-motion films like Alice and his animated short Meat Love. Director Chomon’s work is impeccable and this sequence continues to show that this man knew his stuff.

The House of Ghosts, while not a traditionally scary short, is a humorous horror film any fan of the genre can appreciate.