''The Haunted Castle'' is a hypothetical lost 1897 British film, attributed in some filmographies to the British film pioneer

George Albert Smith George Albert Smith Sr. (April 4, 1870 – April 4, 1951) was an American religious leader who served as the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Early life Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territor ...

, but which may be a misidentification of a French film by Georges Méliès. Many of Smith's films show an interest in supernatural themes, such as ''Photographing a Ghost'' (1898), ''The Haunted Picture Gallery'' (1899), and his major short comedy ''

Mary Jane's Mishap ''Mary Jane's Mishap; or, Don't Fool with the Paraffin'' is a 1903 British short silent comedy film, directed by George Albert Smith, depicting disaster following when housemaid Mary Jane uses paraffin to light the kitchen stove. The ''trick' ...

'' (1903); he also filmed a version of the

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

legend. A film called ''The Haunted Castle'', supposedly released by Smith in December 1897, was attributed to him in the 1973 edition of '' The British Film Catalogue''. However, the film historian

John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. He currently works as an author, commentator and pundit for ESPN and SuperSport. Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to ce ...

, in his book-length study of the year 1897 in British film, concluded that the title referred to a Méliès film that had been referenced in England since May of that year. Méliès's 1897 film '' Le Château hanté'' was indeed released in Britain as ''The Haunted Castle''. (A slightly earlier film of his, '' Le Manoir du diable'', made in the winter of 1896–7, is also known as ''The Haunted Castle'' after its American release title.)

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* 1897 films 1897 horror films 1890s British films British horror films British silent short films British haunted house films Films directed by George Albert Smith Films set in castles British black-and-white films 1890s ghost films 1897 short films Silent horror films {{1890s-horror-film-stub