The Ghost Breaker (1914 film)
The Ghost Breaker is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar C. Apfel and based on the 1909 Broadway play of the same name by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures under the Famous Players–Lasky banner.[2]
The Ghost Breaker
Cecil B. DeMille
Oscar C. Apfel
Paul Dickey
Charles W. Goddard
James Montgomery
The Ghost Breaker
by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard
Cecil B. DeMille
Jesse L. Lasky
- December 7, 1914
63 minutes
United States
Silent
English intertitles
The Ghost Breaker was possibly the first film in a long line of haunted-house horror films with the same story. A 1922 remake of the same name starred Wallace Reid and Lila Lee. The original film was also remade as The Ghost Breakers (1940) with Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard, and as Scared Stiff (1953) with Martin and Lewis.[3] The film is now considered lost.[4][5]
Release[edit]
The film was released in Wellington, New Zealand, on December 19, 1915, where it followed a week-long run of Fanchon the Cricket.[7]
Reception[edit]
After the release of The Ghost Breaker, the film was met with mostly positive reviews, with audiences finding movie witty and thrilling. Many critics praised H.B. Warner's portrayal of the character Warren Jarvis, so much so that his named was often used in promotions for the film.[4]