Sunday, October 27, 2024

31 Nights of Halloween: Trick or Truth?

"The Silent Watcher" (sadly one of the many great early films that have been lost) tells of four sorority sisters, the handyman they all lust after, and the maid from the sorority house, who are working through the night to get an old house ready for a big party the next evening. Unfortunately, a killer is in the house with them, so they might not live to see the morning...


Some film historians identify "The Silent Watcher" (1925), starring Bessie Love and Douglas Fairbanks, as the first slasher film. It's surprisingly gory for its time. In fact, it is SO gory that it was only shown in three theaters in California, two showings each, before all copies were seized by the authorities and production company Gleaming Edge was hit with so many fines it went out of business.


Although it was widely condemned in the press (while being unseen by most), critics also praised stars Bessie Love and Douglas Fairbanks for performances that ran the gamut from funny to "heart-stoppingly terrifying", and generally spoke favorably of the last-minute, shocking revelation of the killer's identity.


So... what do you think? Is this a truthful post? Or is it trickery in the spirit of Halloween? 

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