''La Maison ensorcelée'' (literally "The Ensorcelled House" from

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, en, The House of Ghosts, also known as The Witch House) is a 1906 French short film directed by Segundo de Chomón. The film features

stop-motion animation Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

and is considered to be one of the earliest cinematic depictions of a haunted house premise.

Plot

Two men and a woman stop at a small house in the woods. Inside, they experience numerous instances of paranormal activity, including disappearing furniture; a stereotypical

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

; movement of cutlery and food on their own; ball lightning; unexplained tilting of the entire home; and a grotesque being with claw-like fingers that attempts to eat the trio.

Legacy

The film inspired director

Jennifer Kent Jennifer Kent (born 5 March 1969) is an Australian actress, writer and director, best known for her directorial debut, the horror film ''The Babadook'' (2014). Her second film, '' The Nightingale'' (2018), premiered at the 75th Venice Internati ...

, and was included in a scene in her 2014 horror film '' The Babadook''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:House of Ghosts 1908 films 1908 horror films 1908 animated films 1900s ghost films Films directed by Segundo de Chomón French horror films French silent short films Articles containing video clips French black-and-white films Films using stop-motion animation 1908 short films Silent horror films