The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1918)
|
“
|
These giant monsters of the past are seen to breathe, to live again. To move and battle as they did at the dawn of life.
|
„
|
— Tagline |
The Ghost of Slumber Mountain is a 1918 American giant monster fantasy film, distributed by World Film Company. It is considered one of the first dinosaur films and one of the first giant monster films. Its extraordinary success, $10,000 in box office, later led to the production of the 1925 film The Lost World, though its influence on other films is minor. The film combines stop-motion special effects by Willis O'Brien and live action. The original version of the film lasted 40 minutes; however, this version is considered to be lost. The surviving footage lasts 18 minutes.
Though the entire plot is unknown, the surviving parts of the film tell the story of writer Jack and his friend Joe, who notice an incomprehensible tool in the abandoned house of the hermit Mad Dick. In the night, Jack imagines that the ghost of the hermit shows him strange prehistoric creatures from the past, including Brontosaurus, Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops.
Plot
Two little boys ask their uncle Jack Holmes, a writer and an adventurer, to tell them an interesting story, and he decides that the story of the mysterious Slumber Mountain he has visited is what they need.
One day, his friend Joe tells Jack about the hermit Mad Dick, who lived near Slumber Mountain. Joe says he saw an incomprehensible telescope-like tool in his hands. Mad Dick looked into the valley with his instrument and watched something. Jack and Joe decide to hike to Slumber Mountain and the Valley of Dreams with their dog.
In the middle of the night, Jack hears an unknown voice calling him to an abandoned hermit's house. Arriving there, he decides to get a mysterious tool out of a drawer. Immediately after that, the ghost of Mad Dick appears. He says that Jack needs to look at Slumber Mountain with this device and that he can see the ancient times. Jack follows the words of Mad Dick and sees two ancient creatures: a giant long-necked dinosaur, Brontosaurus, and an ancient Terror Bird, who was eating a snake. After that, he sees a battle between two Triceratops and a powerful predator, Tyrannosaurus rex. He defeats one of them and eats it. The monster notices Jack and starts chasing him. Jack decides to shoot with his pistol, but the dinosaur is still running after him. He prepares to attack Jack, but suddenly Jack wakes up and it turns out that he is in the camp with his friend Joe, and it was just a dream.
At the end of the film, the boys say that it was an extremely interesting story.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Willis O'Brien
- Cinematography by Willis O'Brien
- Written by Willis O'Brien
- Produced by Herbert M. Dawley
- Music by Tom Luis
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Willis O'Brien as Mad Dick
- Herbert M Dawley as Jack Holmes
- Unknown as Joe
- Alan Day & Chauncey Day as Jack's nephews
- Soxie the dog as Soxie the dog
Appearances
Monsters |
Weapons, vehicles and races
|
Gallery
- Main article: The Ghost of Slumber Mountain/Gallery.
Videos
|
Comments
Showing 1 comments. When commenting, please remain respectful of other users, stay on topic, and avoid role-playing and excessive punctuation. Comments which violate these guidelines may be removed by administrators.