The Infernal Boiling Pot (1903)
"Le chaudron infernal" (original title)

Two demons throw helpless captives into a boiling cauldron, and then try to summon forth their spirits.

Director:

Georges Méliès

Writer:

Georges Méliès

Stars:

Georges Méliès

Cast

Credited cast:
Georges Méliès	...	Devil

Storyline

Two demons have captured a woman, and they wrap her in a cloth and throw her into a boiling cauldron. One of the demons then brings in two more captives, who also are tossed into the cauldron. One demon then stirs the pot, while the other demon tries to summon forth the spirits of the recently departed.

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Plot Keywords:

demon | cauldron | hell | hand painted | trick film | 

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Genres:

Short | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

France

Release Date:

17 October 1903 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Infernal Boiling Pot

Company Credits

Production Co:

Georges Méliès, Star-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

2 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White Color (hand-colored)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The Extraordinary Voyage (2011)

User Reviews

An inventive short that's still fun to watch.

Every fantasy/horror fan should check out this 1-minute short from pioneering French director Georges Méliès. Made the year after what many consider Méliès' masterpiece LE VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE (A TRIP TO THE MOON) and not nearly as elaborate or impressive as that work, this is still a great piece of film history no film fan will have a problem spending 60 seconds of their time viewing. Unlike most other shorts from the filmmaker, this one was also hand-tinted a variety of bold colors, which gives it a different look and feel than others from the same era. It starts with two green, pitchfork-holding demons in horned headdresses luring a woman into their castle, wrapping her in a sheet and then throwing her into a cauldron, which then erupts in flames. They then throw two others in. The second demon stirs the pot and then the lead demon (played by the director himself) summons each of the three individual spirits. Smoke and fire erupt from the cauldron as each spirit emerges and then floats around overhead. The painted castle backdrop is a simple but effective Gothic design, with just a few thrones and a couple of red demon masks on the walls, and the special effects are very good and have held up surprisingly well over time. Other than a few choppy jumps toward the end of this short as the spirits catch fire and turn to ash, it's a very cool and interesting short.