Halloween Warm-Up: The Apparition

Pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès was making special-effects laden fantasy films and horror comedies when most of his contemporaries could barely conceive of using film for anything but documentary purposes. The film I'm offering as Halloween warm-up viewing today sees him deploying nearly his entire bag of tricks in a three-minute supernatural romp.


The Apparition (aka "The Ghost and the Candle") (1903)

Starring: Georges Méliès 

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A lecherous old man (Méliès) gropes a maid and is subsequently haunted by a vengeful female ghost.

This is another one of those Méliès films where too much blather from me will ruin the fun of watching it, so all I'll say is that the early 20th century must have been a very different time than today, since the main character in this short film isn't phased by a candle that moves on its own, nor seems to find a woman solidifying from a cloud of smoke strange at all.  

But why don't you take a few minutes to watch "The Apparition"? It's bound to put a smile on your face while getting you ready for the tricks and treats that are coming our way later this month!