Okay, I'll admit that this is not a terrific film by many standards. But, and this is important, if you compare it to other films of the era, it's clearly among the very, very best. Back in 1896, most films consisted of babies eating, folks breathing and other 'exciting' activities. There was seldom an attempt to tell a story and special effects consisted of....well, there were no special effects! So, when I see Georges Méliès with his silly bats, imps and devils appearing and disappearing, I can't help but admire him as this is among the first films to even try such 'advanced' special effects. Sure, you might laugh at it now, but audiences of the day were mesmerized as these effects seemed to appear and disappear as if by magic--though it's obvious to folks now that the director simply stopped and re-started the film to achieve the effect. Interesting...and kind of fun.
Review of The House of the Devil
