Genre: Horror/ Drama/ Fantasy
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 1921
Starring: Victor Sjöström, Hilda Borgström, Tore Svennberg
Description: It's New Year's Eve. Three drunkards evoke a legend. The legend tells that the last person to die in a year, if he is a great sinner, will have to drive during the whole year the Phantom Chariot, the one that picks up the souls of the dead... David Holm, one of the three drunkards, dies at the last stroke of midnight...
Review: Special effects in 1921? Well, “The Phantom Carriage” proofs that it’s possible. In the adaptation of Selma Lagerlöf’s book, three drunk men on New Year’s eve talk about an old legend. This legend tells the tale of the last dead person of the year, that has to ride the Phantom Carriage. The carriage that collects all the souls of the dead. David Holm, one of the three men, dies right before midnight.
I like horror movies and I decided to try a completely different one: a silent horror movie. I appears this is not something for me. The movie has no spoken dialogue, at least not in sound. What they say, appears written on the screen, as it is with all silent movies. Through the movie there is constant music, creepy music that raises the atmosphere. But I found it very annoying music as well. It had no diversity at all.
The story itself is original and I was actually amazed how they executed the phantom carriage. This is where the special effects come in. It looks really good for the early 20s.
Overall, “The Phantom Carriage” is probably a movie that a lot of movie fans love, especially fans of the classics. For me it just didn’t work. I found it boring and the music eventually bothered me.
Rating: 2/ 5
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