Saturday, January 17, 2015

THE HAUNTED HOUSE

THE HAUNTED HOUSE was also known as THE HOUSE OF HORROR. Today, it is considered a lost film, and only the Vitaphone sound discs for it remain.

The Haunted House (1928 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Haunted House
Directed by	Benjamin Christensen
Produced by	Richard A. Rowland Wid Gunning
Written by	Richard Bee Lajos Bíró Cornell Woolrich (intertitles)
Based on	The Haunted House by Owen Davis
Starring	Larry Kent Thelma Todd
Music by	Max Bergunker Gerard Carbonara Karl Hajos
Cinematography	Sol Polito
Edited by	Frank Ware
Distributed by	First National Pictures
Release dates	November 4, 1928 (1928-11-04)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent English intertitles

The Haunted House is a 1928 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Benjamin Christensen. Christensen also wrote the script under the name Richard Bee. The film stars Larry Kent and Thelma Todd and is based on Owen Davis's 1924 Broadway play of the same name. The Haunted House is now presumed lost,^[1] but the entire Vitaphone soundtrack featuring music and sound effects survives and can be heard at archive.org as part of the Vitaphone Varieties lineup.

Cast

Larry Kent as Billy
Thelma Todd as The Nurse
Edmund Breese as Uncle Herbert
Sidney Bracey as Tully
Barbara Bedford as Nancy
Flora Finch as Mrs.Rackham
Chester Conklin as Mr. Rackham
William V. Mong as Caretaker
Montagu Love as Mad Doctor
Eve Southern as Sleepwalking Girl
John Gough as Chauffeur

References

Jump up ^ Soister, John T. (2012). American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929. McFarland. p. 252. ISBN 0-786-48790-9.

External links

The Haunted House at the Internet Movie Database
The Haunted House at AllMovie
Vitaphone Varieties Collection at the archive.org

* * *

This movie was part of the horror cycle of the late silent era and was made around the same time as SEVEN FOOTPRINTS TO SATAN and THE HOUSE OF HORROR, all of which were produced by First National and directed by Benjamin Christensen, and all of which could be seen as similar to THE CAT AND THE CANARY - a smash hit at the time.

Chester Conklin was popular in the silent era and would appear in later recreations such as HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE and THE PERILS OF PAULINE ( 1947 ). He worked with Thelma Todd in FASCINATING YOUTH ( 1926 ), RUBBER HEELS ( 1927 ), THE HAUNTED HOUSE ( 1928 ), and THE HOUSE OF HORROR ( 1929 ).