32 Days of Halloween IX, Day 15: Seven Footprints to Satan!

Before we get to Rox of Spazhouse and her latest find in the Halloween mines, I felt it was time for some Peter Lorre. You know that feeling, right? A Lorre deficiency? Well, feel it no more. Here’s a bit of classic old-time radio from 1942 and the Suspense show… “Til Death Do Us Part.” And Lorre’s voice is fan-tastic.

And now we take you live to Rox, wearing a pith/mining helmet:

Created in 1927, Seven Footprints to Satan has been a “lost” film over the decades. Based upon the novel by Abraham Merritt, it is be the last of the transitional silent to “talkies” horror films since it was released both with sound and without. It had been rumored that a print was found in Italy and with technology getting better every minute we are enjoying films that would seem doomed to rumor and speculation.

The film is directed by Benjamin Christensen who directed Haxan (Witchcraft through the Ages). While Haxan dealt with witchcraft, this film deals with a devil worship cult. The film met with poor reception by critics and yet had a good run with the filmgoing audience. Fans of popular culture are known for embracing ideas and stories far quicker than critics do.

The breakdown of the movie: invitation to a party hosted by a mysterious Mr. Satan. (Why yes, I would go). A mysterious emerald, (the word for today is mystery) a lovesick young couple. People in dinner jackets. Odd party games with consequences. What is there not to like?

Abraham Merritt (or A. Merritt in his bio) enjoyed a very lucrative career as a writer. He started out studying the law, then shifted into journalism. Over the years he supplied fantastic stories to Argosy, Weird Tales and even a magazine with his own name. Merritt influenced many horror writers, such as H.P. Lovecraft, Rober Bloch and even Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons and Dragons. Learn more about A. Merritt and his canon of work on Wikipedia (which is always right).

Find more of Rox’s stuff here.