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Vintage Video: Head Back to the 1800s to Watch the First Practical Effects Kill Scene!
81 years before The Omen, the first decapitation was put on screen.
The horror genre can be traced way back to 1896, with French special effects pioneer Georges Melies’ three-minute long film Le Manoir Du Diable (The Devil’s Castle) widely considered to be the very first horror film ever made. But the year before Melies brought a flying bat to the screen, Thomas Edison produced a short film that broke new ground in a much more horrifying way.
Directed by Alfred Clark, the 30-second short The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots recreated the real-life beheading of Mary Stuart, which was carried out in 1587. Released in August of 1895, the film saw Mary’s head being put on a chopping block and then severed clean off by an executioner’s axe, and the effect was pulled off with an edit so clever that audiences at the time were convinced the footage was real; the actor who played Mary (it was actually a male performer) was swapped out with a dummy, and the two shots edited together so as to hide the trick.
Editing techniques such as this have been used to great effect throughout the history of the horror genre – the aforementioned decapitation in The Omen being a great example, and who could ever forget the “jaw-rip” scene from Hatchet? – but it goes without saying that a seamless and very realistic-looking decapitation in 1895 was something very new and very scary to see.
What you’re about to watch is the very beginning of practical gore effects. Enjoy.
Are you watching? Ishana Night Shyamalan has clearly been paying attention to her father, M. Night Shyamalan. Not only is she following in his footsteps as a filmmaker, but she’s also embracing a similar mystique surrounding her work.
The new trailer for her feature directorial debut, The Watchers, gives viewers a taste of what’s in store. AreYouWatching.com has launched with even more clues.
Visit the site to join the mysterious creatures that lurk in the Irish forest as you observe a shelter. From the time the sun sets at 7:30 PM until it rises at 5:55 AM, four strangers — played by Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Oliver Finnegan, and Olwen Fouere — can be seen trapped inside.
You’ll find several interactive items. Click on the gramophone to set the mood with some spooky music. Tap on the birdcage to hear an ominous message from the parrot inside: “I’m going out, try not to die.” Press on the TV to watch clips from a fake reality show called Lair of Love. And if you tap on the window during the daytime … they’ll tap back.
There are also Easter eggs hidden at specific times. We’ve discovered three: a disorienting shot of Fanning’s character’s car at 5:52 PM, a closer view of the captives at 11:11 PM, and a glimpse of monitors at 12:46 AM. Let us know if you find any more in the comments…
The Watchers opens in theaters on June 14 via New Line Cinema. Ishana Night Shyamalan writes and directs, based on the 2022 novel of the same name by A.M. Shine. M. Night Shyamalan produces.
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