skybrick736
The opportunity to watch a film from 1896 is astonishing in itself even if the film is the same repeated magic trick and edits. I wouldn't call it comic per say like a view of the previous reviewers thought but a film to try and get a thrill out of an audience. Georges Melies with his little gem may have kick started the horror genre to a place it may not be at with this type of movie. House of the Devil has horror elements and essentials such as ghosts, witches, skeletons and the devil himself in form of a bat. It's an easy three minute watch, with some cool tricks, but its nothing too extraordinary. Take a look if you want to watch something very old and neat from a time way way forgotten.
binapiraeus
It's simply INCREDIBLE what magic Georges Melies - a real-life trained magician - was able to bring to the screen in those very early days of cinema; and "Le Manoir Du Diable" was his first great masterpiece of special effects that must have absolutely baffled the audience at the time. And it's also the VERY first attempt at a new genre: the HORROR genre! The way ghosts and devils and people disappear and reappear, the sudden flame bursts, menaces lurking literally everywhere - it's REAL magic. And there's even an underlying sense of humor, which is so characteristic for Melies' fantasy, sci-fi, and horror shorts; VERY few people have contributed as much to the development of cinema as an ART form as Georges Melies - and this unique masterpiece, born in the 19th (!!) century, is one of the best examples for his genius!
Michael_Elliott
Le manoir du diable (1896) *** (out of 4) aka The House of the DevilEarly Georges Melies trick film has a bat appearing inside a castle when it then transforms into the Devil himself. Soon this creature is using spells to make other creatures come to life. LE MANOIR DU DIABLE is going to be a big interest to those Melies die-hards such as myself but I think horror fans will also get a real kick out of this. To say this isn't one of the earliest examples of a horror film would be rather crazy because not only do we get the Devil and black magic but there are also ghosts, a skeleton and various other ghastly images. When viewed against today's technology I'm sure there are some that might laugh at these effects but once you consider these were being done in 1896 you really can't help but applaud them. Melies was clearly years ahead of everyone else and the effects still hold up quite well today. I really loved how the different people began to appear even though the editing effects are quite obvious. Another nice touch was some of the black comedy thrown in and for just one example check out how the skeleton is used. Another major plus is that Melies plays the main character so well and with such energy.
MartinHafer
Okay, I'll admit that this is not a terrific film by many standards. But, and this is important, if you compare it to other films of the era, it's clearly among the very, very best. Back in 1896, most films consisted of babies eating, folks breathing and other 'exciting' activities. There was seldom an attempt to tell a story and special effects consisted of....well, there were no special effects! So, when I see Georges Méliès with his silly bats, imps and devils appearing and disappearing, I can't help but admire him as this is among the first films to even try such 'advanced' special effects. Sure, you might laugh at it now, but audiences of the day were mesmerized as these effects seemed to appear and disappear as if by magic--though it's obvious to folks now that the director simply stopped and re-started the film to achieve the effect. Interesting...and kind of fun.
AD
