When film history began with the two 1888 classics Roundhay Garden Scene and Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge, I’m sure that people who saw them could not imagine what those shorts and the movie industry as a whole would become. The horror genre, the one we all love, is almost as old as the movie-making business itself. I will take all who read this (all two of you) on a journey through the history of horror movies, from the first one in 1895 to the current trend of 2010 horror films. I’ll go five years at a time (1895-1899, 1900-1904, etc), even in the beginning, so while my first few blogs may not be long, there is an obvious reason for that (there were so few shorts back then that we would call horror). Let us start this fascinating journey with what I believe is the earliest example of a horror movie: The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1895).

The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1895) is an 18 second short that is much more historical than it is horror, but as it portrays a mock beheading on screen, I feel that it can count. When you put it in the perspective that this came out only 30 years after the end of the Civil War, it really blows my mind. This movie is, as the title may suggest, about the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (which took place in 1547), via decapitation, because of her crime of treason. This was groundbreaking in more than just being semi-horrific, though. This is one of the first films ever made to use trained actors, and also the first to use editing to create a special effect (all in 18 seconds, mind). Actually, you can see this piece of history here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpNQJV8KblQ . Sure, the quality’s low, but keep in mind the date. Now, with that introduction horror movie out of the way, let’s move onto the legend that is the French director Georges Méliès.

Georges Méliès has had over 500 short films under his director belt, one of his most important being A Trip to the Moon (1902). For our purpose, though, we go back to his 1896 Le Manoir du diable (The House of the Devil). It’s a simple, three-minute feature that revolves around a bat flying into a castle, transforming into Mephistopheles, and preparing a cauldron from which many horrible creatures come from. While it was initially meant to amuse audiences more than scare them, I think it’s a pivotal moment for horror movies (and can be viewed at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ApA4juipUk&feature=related). Méliès had some other horror shorts in the late 1800’s, including L’auberge ensorcelée (The Bewitched Inn) in 1897, La caverne maudite (The Cave of the Demons) in 1898, and Évocation spirite (Summoning the Spirits) and Le diable au convent (The Sign of the Cross) in 1899. He’s done many since then, well into the next century, but his firsts are why he’s so well known in the deep horror movie community today. George Albert Smith, a British Director, did two movies, not of which are as well-known or important as the films by Méliès, but they do provide nice trivia. These two films are The Haunted Castle (1897) and Photographing a Ghost (1898). For a little more information on the first movie, here is a link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunted_Castle_(1897_film).

On a final note of horror in the late 1800’s, this site (http://www.seekjapan.jp/article-1/765/J-Horror:+An+Alternative+Guide) claims that there are two Japanese horror movies that were filmed in 1898, which I can find no more information on. It may well be true, however, as many of the shorts from that time period are lost.

And with that, I conclude the first part of my journey through the history of horror. So far, the leading country in horror is France, followed by Britian (with George Albert Smith), possibly Japan, and America, with just one, the first horror movie, The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.