Here's a fun throwback to the early days of cinema, when horror was all about showing off special effects to make the supernatural look real -to the audience of the day, at any rate. La Maison Ensorcelée (The House of Ghosts) from French director Segundo de Chomón may well be the earliest haunted house movie. A group of explorers, or home invaders, find a house full of paranormal activity in the form of moving objects, apparitions, and other unexplained shenanigans. The people do not flee in terror, and inexplicably trust the haunting spirits to serve them a formal meal. They even attempt to sleep over, which is another mistake. Take a hint: get out!
Of course, the original film wasn't in color. That was added to make it more enjoyable for us 115 years later. You can imagine how a theater audience who'd never seen stop motion or double exposure effects would have reacted.
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