Episode 02 begins with a discussion of what exactly makes a horror film. We cover everything from the etymology of the word horror, and the biological differences in how we respond to horror, to how directors, cinematographers, composers, and editors scare us. Plus, much more.
In our main discussion, we question if certain early Méliès films, which some have deemed horror films, actually are horror films at all.
Some of the Méliès films we cover in this episode, which pre-date last week's main film The House of the Devil (Le Manoir du Diable) (1986) are:
A Terrible Night (Une Nuit terrible) (1896) dir. Georges Méliès
A tired man, just trying to go to bed for the night, is pestered by a huge bug.
The Vanishing Lady (Escamotage d'une dame chez Robert-Houdin) (1896) dir. Georges Méliès
This short film finds the director performing the 'vanishing lady" trick, made famous by French illusionist Buatier de Kolta. We will learn much more about him in Episode 2. This short is significant, as it is the first example of an editing cut and stop-motion! This is one of Méliès' first trick films.
What do you think? Do you consider the above two films horror films?
Some other films that we discuss that you may want to see beforehand (or after, if you have already listened to the episode) are:
The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895) dir. Alfred Clark
The Four Troublesome Heads (or Four Heads are Better Than One) (Un homme de têtes) (1898) dir. Georges Méliès
Mary Jane’s Mishap (or Don’t Fool with Paraffin) (1903) dir. George Albert Smith
Listen to Episode 02 here:
Don't forget to check back to read the full transcript of episode 2, chock full of supplemental pictures, videos, and other material. If you haven't yet, please subscribe so you receive notifications when there is a new post. Also, please subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts. And, make sure you rate us and comment, as that is how more people can learn about us.
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