Seven Footprints to Satan
| Seven Footprints to Satan | |
|---|---|
 theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Benjamin Christensen |
| Produced by | Richard A. Rowland |
| Written by | Benjamin Christensen |
| Based on |
7 Footprints to Satan (1928 novel) by Abraham Merritt |
| Starring |
Thelma Todd Creighton Hale William V. Mong Sheldon Lewis |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito |
| Edited by | Frank Ware |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | First National Pictures |
Release dates |
January 27, 1929 (silent) February 17, 1929 (sound) |
Running time |
60 minutes 6 reels (5,405 feet) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $129,950[1] |
Seven Footprints to Satan is a 1929 American horror film directed by Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen. Based on the book of the same name by Abraham Merritt, it stars Thelma Todd, Creighton Hale, William V. Mong and Sheldon Lewis, and contains appearances by Sōjin Kamiyama and Angelo Rossitto among others. It was produced as both a silent film and as a part-talkie, making it one of the last – if not the last – silent horror films.[2]
Plot
Jim and Eve, a young society couple, are kidnapped on the eve of Jim's departure for Africa and brought to a mansion that is home to a strange and glamorous Satanic cult.
Cast
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Cast notes
- Loretta Young, in one of her first films, appears uncredited as one of Satan's victims.
Production
Seven Footprints to Satan is the fifth of seven films made by Christensen during his tenure in Hollywood, and is one of only four that survive in a relatively complete state (Eagle's Nest and Haunted House are believed to be lost; House of Horror exists only in sound elements).
Release and response
Seven Footprints to Satan was released as both a silent film and as a sound film with Vitaphone musical score (after first talking picture The Terror (1928), sound effects and some dialogue sequences. The film received generally negative reviews, including from such publications as The New York Times, Variety – which called it "An utterly moronic sound film ... all hokum" – and the Philadelphia Inquirer, in which Mildred Martin wrote "after all the screams and creaks and thumps it reaches a somewhat tame conclusion..."[3] Despite this it performed well at the box office. A companion "Photoplay" edition of the Merritt novel, published by Grosset & Dunlap and featuring several stills from the film, also sold extremely well.
Preservation status
The silent version is in the Danish Film Museum film archive and in the Fondazione Cineteca Italiana film archive (Italian silent title). The sound version is presumed lost, with no known 16mm copy. The Vitaphone soundtrack for recording is also lost.
See also
References
- ↑ Donati, William. The Life and Death of Thelma Todd. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 35 Accessed 29 April 2013
- ↑ Clarens, Carlos. An Illustrated History of Horror and Science-fiction Films. New York, NY: Putnam. p. 57. Accessed 58
- ↑ Nicoletta, Henry and Soister, John T. (2012) American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland p.509. ISBN 9780786487905. Accessed: April 29, 2013
External links
- Seven Footprints to Satan at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Seven Footprints to Satan at the Internet Movie Database
- Seven Footprints to Satan at the TCM Movie Database
- Seven Footprints to Satan at AllMovie
- Seven Footprints To Satan (1929) on And you call yourself a scientist!