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Unheimliche Geschichten (aka. Eerie Tales) (1919) - Richard Oswald

Eerie Tales is fun like the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. This anthology horror movie from 1919 is one of the most surprising pieces of cinema. Richard Oswald really out did himself here. The movie is comprised of five chilling tales as brought to us by three haunted paintings in an old bookstore. The paintings are; The Devil, Death (Conrad Veidt), and The Temptress (I think). The first of the five stories is "The Apparition".

The Apparition - Conrad Veidt falls for a woman with an insane ex-husband. Things go awry when they check into a hotel and ONLY Conrad Veidt checks out.

The Hand - Things get deadly when two friends compete for a woman's love. However, even after death one of the friends can't let go.

The Black Cat - This retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic shows an abusive drunk that kills his wife and seals her up in his basement. Conrad Veidt isn't having any of it.

The Suicide Club - An unfortunate little man gets mixed up in a Suicide Club that loses a member every time they draw an Ace of Spades. This man draws the Ace of Spades on his first draw and must commit suicide in 10 minuets. This one is from Robert Louis Stevenson.

The Spook - A Victorian Baron tries to move in on his host's wife. However, they are haunted by moving pictures, falling chandeliers, ghouls, and the full nine.

This movie is one of my favorite of the silent era. It has suspense, drama, and humor. It is also the first full length horror movie. Give it a watch. I think you will enjoy it.

Oh yeah and all of the title cards are in Helvetica.


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