Silent Movies

Outside a movie premiere, enthusiastic fan Peppy Miller literally bumps into the swashbuckling hero of the silent film, George Valentin. The star reacts graciously and Peppy plants a kiss on his cheek as they are surrounded by photographers. The headlines demand: "Who's That Girl?" and Peppy is inspired to audition for a dancing bit-part at the studio. However as Peppy slowly rises through the industry, the introduction of talking-pictures turns Valentin's world upside-down.

Considered by many to be the first great American horror film, John S. Robertson's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde allowed stage legend John Barrymore to deliver his first virtuoso performance on film. Blending historic charm with grim naturalism, this version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is one of the more faithful of the many screen adaptations of Stevenson's story, recounting a visionary scientist's ill-fated attempts to unleash the human mysteries that dwell beneath the shell of the civilized self.

Considered by many to be the first great American horror film, John S. Robertson's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde allowed stage legend John Barrymore to deliver his first virtuoso performance on film. Blending historic charm with grim naturalism, this version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is one of the more faithful of the many screen adaptations of Stevenson's story, recounting a visionary scientist's ill-fated attempts to unleash the human mysteries that dwell beneath the shell of the civilized self.

It was a minor stroke of genius when director Andrew Leman of the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society decided to film Lovecraft's influential 1925 horror story as a faux silent film. Fake scratches, handsome intertitles, a captivating score, and high-contrast black-and-white images at dramatic angles that recall the best German Expressionism go a long way to further the illusion that the film was made in '25 instead of '05. With one gesture, Leman solved dozens of problems–suddenly, it didn't matter that the special effects weren't quite state of the art, that the story consists of an undramatic pile-on of narratives-within-narratives, that the production couldn't even afford a real boat. The result is an almost-vintage tale of hair-raising mystery full of bizarre dreams, murderous eskimos, and blood-thirsty cultists that culminates in the revelation of an unspeakable horror. "Call of Cthulhu" is a highly entertaining addition to anybody's Halloween library.

In this first-ever screen adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a simple real-estate transaction leads an intrepid businessman deep into the superstitious heart of Transylvania. There he encounters the otherworldly Count Orlok – portrayed by the legendary Max Schreck, in a performance the very backstory of which has spawned its own mythology – who soon after embarks upon a cross-continental voyage to take up residence in a distant new land… and establish his ambiguous dominion. As to whether the count’s campaign against the plague-wracked populace erupts from satanic decree, erotic compulsion, or the simple impulse of survival – that remains, perhaps, the greatest mystery of all in this film that’s like a blackout…

A mother and daughter flee to a strange abandoned town to seek out answers to the daughter's nightly psychological turmoil in Brotherhood of the Wolf director Christophe Gans' adaptation of the popular survival horror video game. Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) is a very sick child, yet rather than seeing her child suffer the cruel indignities of the medical profession, Rose (Radha Mitchell) ignores her husband's (Sean Bean) pleas and absconds with her ailing daughter to the fog-enshrouded town of Silent Hill. A town drenched in darkness and inhabited by a strange collection of menacing specters, Silent Hill seemingly swallows young Sharon whole upon arrival. Determined to get her daughter back at any cost, Rose sets out to explore the mysterious Silent Hill, only to discover an evil so powerful that it possesses the ability to transform anything it wishes. With the deeply disturbing history of the town slowly coming into focus through the dense fog, Rose soon realizes that both she and her daughter may be little more than simple pawns in a much larger, and seemingly supernatural, game.

In this first-ever screen adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a simple real-estate transaction leads an intrepid businessman deep into the superstitious heart of Transylvania. There he encounters the otherworldly Count Orlok – portrayed by the legendary Max Schreck, in a performance the very backstory of which has spawned its own mythology – who soon after embarks upon a cross-continental voyage to take up residence in a distant new land… and establish his ambiguous dominion. As to whether the count’s campaign against the plague-wracked populace erupts from satanic decree, erotic compulsion, or the simple impulse of survival – that remains, perhaps, the greatest mystery of all in this film that’s like a blackout…

One of the most influential directors in the history of cinema, John Ford helmed more than 140 films and received countless awards for his extensive craftsmanship, including four Best Director Academy Awards for the The Quiet Man (1952), How Green Was My Valley (1941), The Grapes Of Wrath (1940) and The Informer (1935). Setting the standard for excellent filmmaking in every genre he touched, Ford remains an icon, a legend and an inspiration to anyone who's ever made a film… or watched one.

Johnnie loves his train ("The General") and Annabelle Lee. When the Civil War begins he is turned down for service because he's more valuable as an engineer. Annabelle thinks it's because he's a coward. Union spies capture The General with Annabelle on board. Johnnie must rescue both his loves.