Essential Cult Cinema Drawn from the Same DNA as The Monkey's Paw: ...

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

When World War I breaks out, young West Point cadet Gerald Ackland, who is studying in Paris, joins the French army as a fighter pilot. His French fiancee, Martha Landeau, and her father flee to the family farm, which is near the Marne River, for safety. When German troops take over the area, they raid Marthe's farm and attempt to ravage her--but suddenly, out of the sky, comes a French fighter plane that scatters the Germans--and its pilot is none other than Gerald. However, that's not the end of their troubles, by any means.

Dir: Fritz Lang

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Destiny perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

When a woman's fiancé disappears, Death gives her three chances to save him from his fate.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

Geoffrey West is smitten by Marion Larned, whom he sees in a London restaurant reading the personal or "agony" column, and places an ad asking her for an introduction. Her response that he must write her a letter each day for a week to prove that his acquaintance would be interesting prompts him to write her a fascinating tale about the murder of an English army captain. When Geoffrey finally confesses to the murder, Marion tries to protect him from the law, but with the sudden outbreak of World War I, her father puts her on the next boat back to the United States. Geoffrey catches the boat and there confesses to Marion that the whole story was a fiction invented to win her love.

Dir: Rudolf Liebscher

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Blind Adventure perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A mad scientist, an Indian fakir and a Japanese conman walk into a lab - and try to resurrect a dead alchemist in order to discover the secret of creating gold.

Dir: Maurice Elvey

Sherlock Holmes comes to the aid of his friend Henry Baskerville, who is under a family curse and menaced by a demonic dog that prowls the bogs near his estate and murders people.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Melchiad Koloman perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

An epic of passion, intrigue, and espionage set in the African Jungle.

Dir: Wesley Ruggles

Henry Baird, a young newspaperman with a second-hand car but little money, decides to raffle off the car at a county picnic, so that he can take out his sweetheart, Mabel Darrow, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. However, as soon as Henry gets the money, his tailor demands that he pay off his debt. Also, youngsters set the car on fire before he can give to the winner, Joseph Plant, whose wife Evelyn was formerly Henry's sweetheart. Henry arranges with Joe to work for two weeks at no charge at Joe's house, which is next door to Mabel's. Suspecting that Henry and Evelyn are still secretly fond of each other, Joe gives Henry only menial tasks to perform. Despite complications, including misunderstandings on the part of Mabel's father and the arrival of vamp Dorothy Kind pretending to be Henry's wife and the mother of his four children, Henry maintains his honor, thwarts a rival for Mabel's affections, and wins her hand.

Dir: Victor Sjöström

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Hound of the Baskervilles perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

On New Year's Eve, the driver of a ghostly carriage forces a drunken man to reflect on his selfish, wasted life.

Dir: Fred Stranz

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Jacob Fleck

Depicts a society lady trapped under the spell of an unskilled hypnotist.