Watch some of the first movies about ghosts and haunting, from 1896-1921. Check out these early ghost films...
What was the first ghost movie? What was the first haunted house movie?
Answer: The Haunted Castle, a silent movie made in 1896 by Georges Melies of France. It debuted in Paris in 1896, on Christmas Eve, as "Le Manoir du Diable" and is 3 minutes in length. The Haunted Castle film used multiple camera tricks to make people, ghosts, a bat, a skeleton, and props appear and disappear in this black and white, silent clip.
Georges Melies also made a film entitled, "The Vanishing Lady" the same year which also shares credit with being an early 'ghost' film.
What is the best, early movie about ghosts and a haunted house?
Answer: The Haunted House of 1921, made by and starring Buster Keaton, is our pick. Simply put, this 20 minute paranormal movie is fun and very well done for a movie made during the silent film era - and that is precisely why it is so good. It must rely solely on what you see and nothing more.
In this early sepia-toned film, you'll see how many of the tricks and stunts found in subsequent ghost movies (and cartoons) first originated or, at least, where they were perfected by Keaton for movie-goers enjoyment!
Who Invented the Motion Picture Camera and Also Made an Early Ghost Movie?
Why Thomas Edison and his studio, of course! His Uncle Josh in a Spooky Hotel short film was made in 1900 and features a mischievious ghost that appears and disappears behind two men.