Cornwall Film Festival // Silent Horror Shorts

Various Programme | 65 mins

The return of the popular comic spoofs of horror situations from the silent short horror films from the dawn of the 20th century, featuring brand new scores especially commissioned by the Abertoir Horror Festival. Composed and performed by pianist Paul Shallcross, and featuring introductions about each film. 65mins.

Paul Shallcross began his career as a composer while he was still working as a music and drama teacher. “It’s so much more electric, the live performance,” he explains, “when you record a film you haven’t got that feeling that the audience is there behind you and your music is generating a response.”

Four troublesome Heads – Melies (1896) – 1 min.

An Incoherent Excursion – Segundo de Chomon (1909) – 9 mins

Prelude – Castleton Knight (1928) – 6 mins

Prelude is a very dark and original film based on Rachmaninov’s famous Prelude in C sharp minor and is about being buried alive but rated 12.

The Thieving hand – John Stuart Blackton (1909) – 6 mins

The Haunted House – Buster Keaton (1921) – 23 mins