Not one of Melies' best, but still worth watching

Parafaragamus the Alchemist, or The Infernal Horn 

(aka "The Mysterious Retort" and "The Alchemist and the Demon") (1906)

Starring: Georges Méliès

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

An aged mystic (Méliès) drifts off to sleep in his workshop, and his magic still malfunctions and creates spirits--but not the kind you drink.

"Parafaragamus the Alchemist, or The Infernal Horn" is one of the many fantasy shorts that Georges Méliès created during the first decade of the 20th century to showcase his groundbreaking cinematic special effects. It's not the best example of his work--what little story we have here doesn't make a lot of sense, and he did better and more elaborate effects in films--but it only runs roughly three-and-a-half minutes, so it's okay for what it is. (The overall message--mess with the demons, you'll get the horns--but there's not much else going on... except perhaps for the clever bit where Melies shows that something good MIGHT have come from the experiment if only the old man had been awake.)

Despite my negativity above, I do have say that like all of Méliès' fantasy-oriented shorts, it holds up better to modern sensibilities than do the ones where he's just replicating stage illusions, or using film to create elaborate magic tricks that would been impossible  to do live on stage. I think the film is also remarkable in the way it manages to both be goofy and grim at the same time.

As is my habit with these silent shorts, I make them available for you watch in the same post as my review. While there may be better examples of Melies work out there, I think this one is still worth the few minutes of your day it will take you to watch it. (And if you disagree with my estimation, be sure to leave your your take on it in a comment below.)