Horrid

The final episode of season one of Horrid is about the spiritual successor to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, namely Robert Weine’s follow up film, Genuine. First released at the end of 1920, Genuine continues and escalated the expressionist art aesthetic from the earlier film. The titular role of Genuine is played by Fern Andra, an American actress that found great success in the German film industry. A summary of the film is given, and the life of Fern Andra is recounted. Also discussed are Cesar Klein’s contributions to the expressionist sets and costumes found in the film. Finally, contrary to many popular opinions, Doc Manson finds evidence that the seductive Genuine may be more vampire than vamp.

The development of the horror movie genre continues with the history of German expressionism. This artistic movement affected all of the arts, but especially cinema where its use of shadows and physical distortion to convey mood and atmosphere was particularly effective. Doc discusses The Student of Prague and The Golem: How He Came into the World, two surviving films from one of the forefathers of modern horror, Paul Wegener.

The very first full-length feature films are discussed, including The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), and Les Miserables (1909). Then, it is on to the topic of the first feature length horror movies. The first in the world is the Italian film L’Inferno (1911), and a full summary is given. Doc talks about the first example of nudity in a horror movie, and then moves on to discuss the first American horror movie, The Avenging Conscience (1914). This latter film was directed by D.W. Griffith, often called the greatest director of his generation, and is based on literary works written by Edgar Allen Poe.

In the early 1910s, the film medium began its expansion into feature length films. Doc Manson explores this transition by comparing the 1912 adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (first discussed on episode seven of Horrid) to a version from the following year that is twice as long in runtime. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913) was directed by Herbert Brenon and starred King Baggot. Also discussed is luminary film producer Carl Laemmle.

William Brodie was a cabinetmaker and the deacon of the wrights in Edinburgh during the later 18th century. He is also the real life inspiration for one of horror’s all-time great villains, first brought to life in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Doc Manson recounts the history of the first movie adaptation, which is a lost film from 1908. Also presented here is the the first surviving adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from 1912.