"Instead of a perfect human being the evil in Frankenstein's mind created a monster."

Now that was a Halloween for the books, right mortals? We processed more souls through the Devil's Attic than ever and I still had time to take the Antichrist out trick or treating.

My head is still pounding with the shrieks of the tormented, not to mention all the souls I snorted, so this week I want to talk about a movie that's quiet and isn't too long, a silent short, if you will.

This week's Thursday Thriller is Frankenstein.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's classic novel about a scientist who discovers the secret of reanimating the dead. J. Searle Dawley directed the first film adaptation in 1910 for Thomas Edison's production company. It is not the first horror film. Most say that honor goes to Georges Melies's Le Manoir Du Diable in 1896, though I think the Edison Company deserves a mention for the first simulated decapitation in 1895.

Director Alfred Clark's The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots is credited with cinema's first film edit.

I'm drifting off topic and if I'm not careful I'm going to start rambling about 1903's Electrocuting an Elephant. Let's get back to Frankenstein.

In an absolutely disposable opening, we see Frankenstein (Augustus Phillips) wave adieu to his fiancee Elizabeth (Mary Fuller) and head off to college. Two years later, in another disposable moment of studying, Frankenstein discovers the secret of creating life. The boring parts out of the way, we're ready to see the apparatus by which Frankenstein does what he's famous for. With the flourish of a stage magician, he throws a couple explosive chemicals into an oven, closes the door and watches through a peephole.

The camera trickery in play looks a little primitive by our jaded modern standards, but was no doubt ambitious for its time. They clearly built at least one puppet, set it on fire, let it burn to ashes, then played the film backwards so we can watch flesh crawl into a bare skeleton as it sucks in all the smoke and flame. It looks pretty cool.

Then The Monster (Charles Ogle) emerges from the oven. Frankenstein is horrified by its large head, long hair and weird fingers. The Monster chases Frankenstein around for a few scenes before ultimately seeing how horrific he looks and dissolving. Frankenstein watches The Monster's reflection fade from the mirror and is left looking at who the real monster is.

It's definitely not the best Frankenstein movie, but undeniably the first. Frankenstein streams on YouTube.