The Manor of the Devil (La Manoir du Diable), also known as The Haunted Castle and The Devil's Manor, is the original vampire film. The first practical motion picture camera was produced by Louis and Augustus Lumire in the 1890s, and at that time the average movie produced lasted slightly over one minute. In 1896, the Lumire brothers worked with George Mélis, a magician fascinated with the new medium, to produce the first vampire film. Mélis is best known today for his film picturing a rocket heading to the moon.
Using some 195 feet of film, The Manor of the Devil was over three minutes long: The Devil in the form of a vampire bat flies into the window of a castle. He circles the room and then transforms into Mephistopheles (portrayed by Mélis). He produces a large caldron and a number of people (from witches to beautiful young girls) pour forth until suddenly a man appears brandishing a cross. Mephistopheles immediately vanishes in a puff of smoke. Mélis continued to make numerous pictures, only a few of which have survived.
Flynn, John L. Cinematic Vampires: The Living Dead on Film and Television, from the Devil's Castle (1896), to Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1992. 320 pp.
The Vampire Book. 1999 ©Visible Ink Press (VisibleInkPress.com). All rights reserved.
