Freebie Film Tip #25: A Spooky Photograph

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Freebie Film Tip #25: A Spooky Photograph

Today's offering isn't the best-acted thing in the world, but it's sort of interesting in its own way. The episode The Photograph, from the Swedish-made 1950s TV series 13 Demon Street, borrows from classic horror to tell a tale that might chill you. Lon Chaney, Jr, introduces the story, which is part of a horror series filmed in English (sort of) with Swedish subtitles.

The story's set in New York City, but the photographer has to go off to Maine quickly. This is obviously because they're really in Sweden, and all they’ve got to film is snow. I've seen another one, set in Bavaria. As soon as they go outdoors…you guessed it, there's lots of snow. It's like filming in Canada, only worse.

The Photograph is an interesting story idea. It should be: they ripped it off of MR James' short story 'The Mezzotint'. Professor James' story is much funnier, though. I wish they'd filmed that one. I love all his Cambridge scholars poring over spooky pictures. They're sort of like the Unseen University without the pointy hats.

The mysterious house in the photograph rather reminded me of a British mystery that people claim is real. Have you ever heard of the vanishing house of Rougham? For the last couple of centuries, this house has appeared and vanished numerous times. It's getting tedious. Real estate people want to list it.

Chaney's series revolved around the idea that he was stuck in this haunted house until he told a story about something worse than what he'd done himself. We never find out what he did, but it must have been bad. After all, these are some of the worst stories they can find. Horror worthy of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Enjoy the picture.

A graphic showing the mechanics of the trombone shot, with the camera zooming in and pulling back. The effect is to make the subject and background of the frame appear to be moving in different directions while both are actually stationary.
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