THE RED SPECTRE (1907) – 9-10 minute Pathe production which features beautifully rendered red tinting. The central figure is a demon in the depths of Hell clad in a red cape plus skull makeup and skeletal central costume.
The Red Spectre toys with the captive souls of various women until an angel shows up to end his evil deeds and do battle with him. The angel is played by a woman with very short hair so it may have been meant to be a little boy angel.
The angel frees the women’s souls, subdues the Red Spectre and places her foot on his back in triumph before donning his red cape herself.

Balladeer’s Blog
This film is notorious both for its surreal, almost Dali-esque images and for its association with one of the possible suspects in the Zodiac murders in the 1960s and 1970s. Ignore comparisons with Melies. This short is much more inventive than the work of that repetitious quasi- hack ever was.
FOR MORE SILENT HORROR SHORTS CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2012/10/19/the-best-silent-horror-film-shorts-1896-1909
© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Very nice old movie – like our Dead Cool Stuff.
I agree!
Awesome! So strange how they could do color even way back then.
Yep! It was just a very expensive and slow process until technicolor came along.
Loved reading about this! Checked it out on youtube and it was great. Weird tinting.
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it!