It’s the Friday of Halloween weekend. Maybe you’re bored. Maybe you’re looking for something to occupy your time. That’s why I’m packing three, three, three horror classics of the silent era into one blog post.
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Forget about song and dance and Broadway, the real Phantom of the Opera was a creepy classic that was ahead of its time. The story has been remade five times, but it’s tough to beat a silent classic with Lon Chaney.
Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1920)
Jekyll and Hyde don’t rate very highly in modern horror, but way back when it was a pretty creepy story about man’s dual nature. This 1920 adaptation is considered by many to be among the best silent horror films.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) is a landmark of German film and of early horror. I almost made this one the featured subject of a post, but had to admit to myself that not many people would find it entertaining. Not because it isn’t a great film — it’s rich with images film enthusiasts (especially of the silent era) will love, including amazing staging, set design, and stunning visuals from the German impressionist era — but because it’s simply not entertaining in a modern sense. Remove it from its historical context and only a small segment of people will enjoy it. But that segment of people will enjoy it a LOT, because it’s loaded with hallucinatory images and influential filmmaking.
