Le manoir du diable 1896

Le Manoir du Diable (The House of the Devil), directed by Georges Méliès in 1896, is a pioneering silent short film often hailed as the first horror movie. Running just over three minutes, it blends trick photography, pantomime, and supernatural antics in a gothic castle setting.
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Plot Overview
A giant bat flies into a darkened medieval castle and transforms into Mephistopheles, the Devil, who conjures a cauldron and summons an assistant to produce a beautiful woman from its depths. Two cavaliers soon enter, facing chaotic illusions like teleporting imps, moving furniture, a dancing skeleton, and ghostly specters that subdue one of them.

Key Tricks and Effects
Méphistopheles plays pranks with rapid transformations: the woman becomes a withered crone leading a coven of witches, bats turn into skeletons, and objects vanish in puffs of smoke. The surviving cavalier ultimately repels the Devil by brandishing a large crucifix, restoring order amid the mayhem.

Historical Impact
Intended more for amusement than terror, the film showcases Méliès's innovative stop-motion, double exposure, and substitution splice techniques, laying groundwork for horror tropes like haunted castles and demonic figures. Its whimsical Gothic style influenced generations of filmmakers.