Le manoir du diable

Often cited as the first horror film, this silent short from Georges Méliès depicts a bat turning into Mephistopheles inside a castle. Using a magic cauldron, he conjures ghosts, witches, and other phantoms. The spectacle, filled with pioneering trick photography and theatrical magic, concludes when an apparition brandishes a crucifix, causing the devil to vanish in a puff of smoke. It is a landmark of early cinema and the fantasy genre.