Hooptober 12: 15/31

Man becomes carcass;
Home becomes catacomb;
The dead, are but for a moment, motionless

Silent films always have the advantage when I watch them because I somehow never expect a lot from them, which is a mistake, obviously, and here's another case in point. I was spellbound for the entire runtime, sixty minutes of being glued to the screen, and when it was over, I had to blink a few times to process what I have witnessed: A gothic surrealism masterpiece.

The amount of inventive and creepy shots is staggering. Out-of-focus close-ups; a funeral procession slowly stomping across the moor; candles floating across the river. Huge curtains billowing. The actor who plays Roderick Usher is so naturalistic in his portrayal and entirely removed from acting conventions of the time. The music in the version I watched added to the spectral vibe so much that I was surprised it is not more well-known. It's everything I want from an adaptation of a story that is almost all mood, and it's so good that I'm willing to forgive the nonsensical change to the ending.