It’s all in black and white! Thirty-One Days O’Horror 2026 is in the books, so that means that I have to start preparing for 2027! For next year, Ken’s Alternate Universe is taking a deep dive back to the days of cinema past, when horror was in black and white and, sometimes, silent. I’ll beContinue reading “Thirty-One Days O’Horror 2027!”
Tag Archives: silent film
TODOH #29: The Phantom Of The Opera (1925)
“I will not be cheated of my happiness!” While modern audiences tend to shrug off silent and/or black and white films, they deny themselves the opportunity to see some of the greatest films ever made. One of those films, today’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror entry, is a veritable masterpiece. That film is 1925’s The Phantom OfContinue reading “TODOH #29: The Phantom Of The Opera (1925)”
TODOH #19: The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)
“We die at dawn! He is Caligari!“ Something of a chaotic dream, the 1920 silent film The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari is equal parts horror story and political dissertation. On the surface, it is a tale of a demented doctor that uses a somnambulist (that’s a five dollar word for “sleepwalker that engages in tasksContinue reading “TODOH #19: The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)”
Classic Cinema: One Week (1920)
“Good luck. You’ll Need It!” Newlyweds (Buster Keaton and Sybil Seely) are gifted Lot 99, a Build-It-Yourself house, and a lot of chaos in 1920’s hilarious One Week. The silent short was Buster Keaton’s first independently released film and has a number of notable stunts and one rather racy scene that made censors of theContinue reading “Classic Cinema: One Week (1920)”
Classic Cinema: A Night In The Show (1915)
“Get in line and wait your turn!” Charlie Chaplin works double duty in front of and behind the camera in the 1915 silent classic A Night In The Show. Chaplin wrote and directed the film, basing it upon Mumming Birds, a stage play that Chaplin worked on while with the Karno Company in London. InContinue reading “Classic Cinema: A Night In The Show (1915)”
Classic Cinema: Captain Kidd’s Kids (1919)
“Suffering sunfish! GIRL pirates!!!“ The 1919 silent short film, Captain Kidd’s Kids, starred silent film legend Harold Lloyd, his longtime co-star, Bebe Daniels, and two other Harold Lloyd regulars, the perpetual second fiddle (but no less of a star) Snub Pollard, and Helen Gilmore, who had a successful career in a number of projects byContinue reading “Classic Cinema: Captain Kidd’s Kids (1919)”
Halloween Bites! Nosferatu (1922)
“The Master is near…..” Released in 1922, F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror is the first vampire film to ever grace the big screen according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A blatant rip-off of Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel, Murnau changed the names of the characters and the ultimate demiseContinue reading “Halloween Bites! Nosferatu (1922)”
Classic Cinema: The Unknown (1927)
“Hands! Men’s Hands! How I Hate Them!” Considered by many to be the greatest film collaboration between director Tod Browning and the legendary Lon Chaney, 1927’s The Unknown is a twisted silent film that features a love triangle, murder, deception, and heartbreak. It stars Lon Chaney as Alonzo the Armless, Joan Crawford as Nanon, NormanContinue reading “Classic Cinema: The Unknown (1927)”
Classic Cinema: Three Ages (1923)
“…..the only thing that has not changed since the world began is LOVE.” The first feature length film that Buster Keaton wrote, directed, produced, and starred in, 1923’s Three Ages tells us a timeless tale of love. It is the same story told across three different time periods: stereotypical caveman times, Ancient Rome, and theContinue reading “Classic Cinema: Three Ages (1923)”
Classic Cinema: A Fool There Was (1915)
“Kiss me, my fool!” Not to be confused with the 1922 silent film of the same name and based upon the same play, 1915’s A Fool There Was is a crucial piece of cinematic history. It is the first starring role for Theda Bara, the woman that most cinephiles consider to be the first cinematicContinue reading “Classic Cinema: A Fool There Was (1915)”
