13 The Hunchback of Notre Dame ( 1923 )

This  was  a  big  budget  film  in  its  day , Universal's  most  successful  silent  movie. Based  of  course  on  Victor  Hugo's  novel  it  stars  Lon  Chaney  as  Quasimodo  and  is  pretty  watchable  throughout  despite  Chaney  being  off-screen  for  much  of  it . The  sets  are  very  impressive  for  the  time  although  the  Jacobean  costumes  worn  by  the  men  don't  match  the  medieval  setting.

Patsy Ruth  Miller  ( as  Esmeralda )

Sex : She  bares  a  shoulder  when  Captain  Phoebus  tries  to  seduce  her  but  after  he  retrieves  her  locket  from  her  bosom  he  has  an  attack  of  conscience  and  replaces  her  strap. Later  in  the  film  she  is  in  her  underclothes  for  a  considerable  time.

Death : Survives

The  unusually  slim  Patsy  made  her  name  here  but  was  more  often  to  be  found  in  light  romantic  comedies. She  made  an  occasional  talkie  but  became  better  known  as  a  writer. She  was  married  three  times  and  died  in  1995  aged  91.

Winifred  Bryson  ( as  Phoebus's  fiance, Fleur )

Sex : Nothing - in  fact  she  has  little  to  do  in  the  movie  at  all

Death : Survives

Winifred's  career  also  ended  with  the  talkies. She  died  in  1987  aged  94

Gladys  Brockwell  ( as  Sister  Gudule )

Sex : Nothing

Death :  Dies  of  shock  on  discovering  that  Esmeralda  is  her  daughter  as  she's  on  her  way  to her  execution

Gladys   died  of  injuries  sustained  in  an  automobile  accident  in  1929. She  was  35.  Ironically  she  had  just  started  making  talkies  and  looked  set  to  adapt  well  to  the  new  medium.

12 The Headless Horseman ( 1922 )

This  is  a  seriously  dull  version  of  Washington  Irving's  much-adapted  tale. Will  Rogers  plays  the  antagonistic  school  teacher  Ichabold  Crane  with  gold-digging  eyes  on  local  beauty  Katharina  Van  Tassel  in  a  village  haunted  by  a  headless  horseman.  It's  less  scary  than  Trumpton.

Lois  Meredith  ( as  Katharina )

Sex : Nothing

Death : Survives

This  was  actually  Lois's  last  credited  acting  role. She  died  in  1967  aged  g9.

11 The Penalty ( 1920 )

This  just  about  counts  as  a  horror  film  ; others  might  classify  it  as  a  crime  thriller.  The  film  is  an  adaptation  of  a  pulp  fiction  novel  by  Gouverner  Morris. Lon  Chaney  plays  Blizzard  a  double  amputee   since  childhood   due  to  the  incompetence  of  a  young  doctor  Ferris  ( Charles   Clary ). In  the  intervening  years  he  has  come  to  be  an  underworld  kingpin   and  the  cops  put  their  best  double  agent  Rose  ( Ethel  Grey  Terry ) onto  him. What  she  discovers  is  that  his  ultimate  plan  involves  revenge  on  Ferris. It's  a  good-looking  film  with  an  extensive  cast  of  extras   although  the plot  is  a  bit  flimsy

Claire  Adams  (  as  Barbara  Ferris ) 

Sex : No  but  she  is  sculpting  an  uncredited  nude  model  when  we  first  meet  her

Death : Survives

Claire  was  a  successful  actress  who  married  well  and  moved  out  of  films  as  the  talkie  era began. She  died  in  1978  in  Australia.

Ethel  Terry  ( as  Rose )

Sex : No. Blizzard  is  more  interested  in  girls  moving  the  pedals  for  him  so  he  can  play  the  piano.

Death : Survives

This  was  probably  Ethel's  most  high  profile  film  role. She  died  in  1931  aged  48.

Doris  Pawn  ( as  Barbary  Nell )

Sex : No

Death :  In  the  film's  only  really  shocking  scene,  Nell  is  fatally  stabbed  by  Blizzard's henchman  Frisco  Pete, moments  after  stealing  a  wallet  to  finance  her  breakaway.

Doris's   career  didn't  last  beyond  the  silent  era  and  she  disappeared  into  married  life  , dying  at  93  in  1988.

10 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ( 1920 )

On  the  other  side  of  the  First  World  War  came  yet  another  version  of  Stephenson's  transformation  tale. This  was  a  more  sexually-charged  take  on  the  story  directed  by  John  S  Stevenson  and  starring  top  US  actor  John  Barrymore  in  both  roles. Besides  Jekyll  having  a  fiance, Millicent  Carew, Hyde  acquires  his  own  girlfriend  Gina an  Italian  dancer  who  it  is  suggested  first  awakens  Jekyll's  baser  instincts.

Martha  Mansfield  ( as  Millicent )

Sex : Nothing  but  some  of  her  dresses  are  quite  low-cut  for  the  time

Death : Survives

Martha  ( real  surname  Ehrlich  ) became  a  big  name  on  the  back  of  this  film  but  her  career was  tragically  cut  short  in  1923  when   a  tossed  match  ignited  her  costume  on  the  set  of  The Warrens  of  Virginia   and  she  died  from  the  burns  received  hours  later.

Nita  Naldi   ( as  Gina )

Sex : Gina's  sexual  relationship  with  Hyde  occurs  offscreen  but  her  dancing  costume  is  quite  skimpy  with  the  outline  of  her  left   nipple  clearly  visible  in  some  frames

Death :  Survives

Nita   was  actually  Mary  Dooley , a  New  Yorker  of  Irish  extraction. Her  film  career  ended  when  talkies  came  in  but  her  career  as  a  vaudeville  actress  continued. She  died  in  1961 aged  66.  

Two  other  girls  are  molested  in  a  bar  by  Hyde  during  the  film  but there  seems  to  be  no  record  of  their   names.

9 The Avenging Conscience ( 1914 )

This  is  another  D  W  Griffith  adaptation  of  an  Edgar  Allan  Poe  story  and  the  first  film   we've  come  to  that's  feature   length. It  concerns  a  young  man  (  Henry  B  Walthall  ) who murders  his  uncle  and  benefactor ( Spottiswoode  Aitken )  after   being  forbidden  to  see  his rather  full-figured  girlfriend  ( Blanche  Sweet ). He  then  starts  to  suffer  visions  and  come  apart under  the  strain  of  his  guilty  conscience.

You  do  get  a  bit  aggravated  by  Griffith's  arch  captions  particularly  as  he  autographs   each one for  self-advertisement  ( egomaniac ? Moi ? )  but  there  is  a  strong  vision  behind  the  film with  its  odd  digressions, the  camera  tricks  and  the  visions  of  hell  the  protagonist  suffers.

Blanche  Sweet  ( The  Sweetheart )

Sex : No  but  she  does  start  to  undress  at  one  point

Death : Throws   herself  off  a  cliff  except  it's  all  a  dream  really

Buxom  Blanche  was  a  big  star  throughout  the  silent  era  but  only  made  three  talkies. She   died  in  1986  aged  90.

Mae  Marsh  ( The  Maid )

Sex : No, just  a  bit  of  flirting

Death : Survives

Though  her  role  in  this  one  is  small, Mae also  had  a  successful  career  which  carried  over  into  the  talkies  where  she  often  worked  with  John  Ford.

8 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ( 1913 )

The  next  version  of  the  story  wasn't  long  in  coming  round. This  was  almost  twice  as  long  as   the  1912  film  with  both  more  named  characters  and  more  extras. But  bigger  doesn't  necessarily  mean  better ; I  hate  King  Baggot's  portrayal  of  Hyde  as  a  quaking  and  crouching  lunatic  which  seems  more  suited  to  The   Hunchback   of  Notre  Dame  than  Stevenson's  story. It  also  has  to  be  said  that  Jekyll's  girlfriend  ( now  named  as  Alice ) isn't  very  pretty  and looks  a  better  match  for  Hyde  than  his  alter  ego. One  plus  in  the  film  is  using  Jekyll' s  frequent  letters, notes  and  will  as  an  extra  narrative  device. Once  again  there's  a  hint  of  child  abuse  though  this  time  it's  a  boy  suffering  some  unspecified  injury  at  Hyde's  hands.

Jane  Gail  ( Alice )

Sex :  Nothing

Death : Survives

Jane's  real  name  was  Ethel  Magee  so  you  can  understand  why  she  changed  it. She  was  from  New  York  and  had  been  an  extra  in  the  1912  film. This one  made  her  a  big  star  but  her  film  career  was  over  by  1921.

7 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ( 1912 )

This  was  not  the  first  film  adaptation  of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson's  tale  but  the  1908   version is  thought  to  be  lost. As  you  can  see  from  the  stills  there's  a  huge  jump  in  picture  quality  from  the  previous  films  featured  allowing  more  expressive  acting . This  one  starred  future  film  director  James  Cruze  as  Jekyll /Hyde  although  another  actor  Harry  Benham's  claim  that  he  did  some  of  the  Hyde  scenes  is  taken  seriously.

Florence  La  Badie  ( Jekyll's  girlfriend )

Sex : Hyde  attacks  her  in  the  park  but  it's  not  clear  if  the  motive  is  sexual

Death : Survives

Florence  was  a  French  Canadian  actress ,  perhaps  a  relative  of  Celine  Dion  judging  from  that chin, who  died  from  injuries  sustained  in  an  automobile  accident  at  the  height  of  her  fame  in 1917. That  hat  was  later  used   to  depict  a  flying  saucer  by  Ed  Wood  ( OK  I  might  have  made  that last  bit  up ).

Marie  Eline  ( little  girl )

Sex :  In  a  strange  little  episode,  Hyde  is  seen  moving  away  from  a  prone  little  girl  who  then  picks  herself  up. Has  he  merely  knocked  her  over  or  has  something  more  sinister  gone  on ?

Death  :   Survives

Marie  was  a  very  prolific  child  actress  who'd  already  made  around  fifty  films  for  the  Thanhouser  Company  before  this  one.

6 Frankenstein ( 1910 )

This   was   the  first   film  adaptation  of   Mary   Shelley's  novel  or  a  small   part   of  it   anyway. It  was  produced  by  Edison  and  starred  Augustus  Phillips  as  Frankenstein, Charles  Ogle  as  the  Monster  and   Mary  Fuller  as  the  Doctor's  fiance. Even  at  less  than  14  minutes  long  the  film  is  rather  boring  to  watch  today  with  blurry  figures  gesticulating  theatrically  for  most  of  the  time. The  biggest  plus  is  Ogle's  appearance, much  more  convincing  than  some  of  the  monsters  created  more  than  50  years  later.

Mary  Fuller  ( the  Fiancee )

Sex : Nothing

Death  :  Survives

Mary  was  21  when  she  made  this  and  for  a  few  years  afterwards was  both  a  major  movie  star  and  a  filmed  screenwriter  but  her  time  in  the  sun  was  short  and  she  was  out  of  work  by  1917. This  failure  hit  her  hard  and  she  spent   her  last  quarter  century  in  an  institution  following  a  string of  nervous  breakdowns. She  died  in  1973  aged  85.

5 The Sealed Room ( 1909 )

This  1909  adaptation  of  an  Edgar  Allan  Poe  tale  was made  by  D  W  Griffith,  later  responsible  for  the  notorious  Birth  of  a  Nation. It  concerns  a  Count  with  an  unfaithful  wife  who  seals  off  the  room  where  she  and  a  minstrel  are  having   their  tryst  and  causes  their ( rather  quick )  death  by  suffocation. Future  superstar  Mary  Pickford  appears  briefly  as  a  lady  in  waiting.

Marion  Leonard  ( The  Countess )

Sex  :  The  Countess's  adultery  drives  the  plot  but  we  don't  see  more  than  a  bit  of  canoodling. In  her  death  agonies  the  Countess looks  like  she's  about  to  rip  her  dress  open  but  it  doesn't  happen.

Death : By  suffocation , along  with  her  lover.

Marion  was a  popular  actress  who  made  over  200  films many  of them  with  Pickford. She  died in 1956.

4. The X-Rays (1897 )

This  is  another  short  directed  by  George  Abel  Smith  and  starring  wife,  Laura. A  courting  couple  are  seen  in  X-Ray  i.e  wearing  skeleton  costumes. Brighton  comedian  Tom  Green  played  the  bloke.


Laura  Bayley  ( The  Girl )

Sex :  No  she's  fully  dressed,  with  an  eye-wateringly  tight  corset  but  their  behaviour  is  frisky  enough.

Death : Survives

At  least  we  get  an  idea  what  she  looked  like  in  this  one.

3. The Haunted Castle ( 1897 )

Here's  an  odd  one. It   has  Frenchman   George  Melies  playing  the  lead  part  n  a  British  rip-off  of  his  film  of  the  previous  year  Le  Manoir  du  Diable  which  is  generally  regarded  as  the  first  horror  film. This  one  is  45  seconds  long , hand  coloured  red  and  features  a  king  beig  plagued  by  objects  constantly  changing  form


Laura  Bayley  ( Apparition )  

Sex : Nothing- she  could  hardly  be  more  wrapped  up.

Death : She  may  be  already  dead.

Laura  was  the  34  year  old  wife  of  director  George  Abel  Smith  and  was  a  professional  actress. She   stopped  nmaking  films  after 1906  and  died in 1938 aged 76.

2. The Execution of Mary Stuart ( 1895 )

Not  everyone  would  accept  an  eight  second  short  as  a  genuine  horror  film  but  you  have  to start  somewhere . It  was  produced  by  Thomas  Edison , who  had  more  than  a  little  interest  in executions  as  he  wanted  the  contract  for  supplying  electric  chairs. The  historically  inaccurate film  deploys  an  early  camera  trick  to  depict  the  detachment  of  Mary's  head  and  then  it's over.


Mrs Robert L Thomas ( Mary Stuart )

Sex : None,  although you could see this  film  as   a  forebear of  Necrobabes and  Annabelle's Fantasy

Death : She  gets  her  head  chopped  off,  believe  it  or  not. 

This  is  Mrs  Thomas's  only  known  film; some  sources  think  Mary  was  actually  played  by  a  man.

1. Introduction

This  one's  just  a  bit  of  fun , collecting  pictures  of  damsels  in  distress, female  vampires , wicked  witches  and  so  on  from  the  dawn  of  horror  films  to  the  present  day. It's  not  academic  and  it's  not  comprehensive. While  fully  recognising  the  enormous  contribution  made  to  the  genre  by , in  particular,  Germany, Italy  and  Japan,  I'm   going  to  stick  with  English  language  films  only  to  keep  it  sensible.

Obviously  what  actually  constitutes  a  horror  film  is  fairly  elastic . I'll  take  a    broad  view,  admitting  those  spoofs  that  show  some  respect  for  the  genre  like  Scream  and  Shaun  of  the  Dead   but  not  films  where  the  monsters  are  playing  straight  man  to  a  comic  act  like  Abbott  and  Costello. I'm  also  going  to  draw  the  line  at  films  that  are  too  obviously  B-movies  so  nothing  by  Ed  Wood's  going  to  get  in.

Two  words  of  warning

1. Every  entry  will  contain  Spoilers
2. Titillation  goes  with  the  territory- if  that  offends  this  isn't  the  place  for  you.

OK  let's  get  started ...