''The Avenging Conscience: or "Thou Shalt Not Kill"'' is a 1914 silent

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by

D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...

. The film is based on

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

's 1843 short story "

The Tell-Tale Heart "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is told by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator's sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the nar ...

" and his 1849 poem " Annabel Lee".

Plot

Blanche Sweet in The Avenging Conscience

A young man ( Henry B. Walthall) interested in the works of Edgar Allan Poe, falls in love with a beautiful woman (

Blanche Sweet Sarah Blanche Sweet (June 18, 1896 – September 6, 1986) was an American silent film actress who began her career in the early days of the motion picture film industry. Early life Born Sarah Blanche Sweet (though her first name Sarah was ra ...

), but he is prevented by the uncle (

Spottiswoode Aitken Frank Spottiswoode Aitken (16 April 1868 – 26 February 1933) was a Scottish-American actor of the silent era. He played Dr. Cameron in D. W. Griffith's epic drama ''The Birth of a Nation''. Early years Aitken was born 16 April 1868 in Edinb ...

) that raised him since childhood from pursuing her. Tormented by visions of death and suffering and deciding that murder is the way of things, the young man kills his uncle and builds a wall to hide the body. The young man's torment continues, this time caused by guilt over murdering his uncle that was overheard by an Italian witness, and he becomes sensitive to slight noises, like the tapping of a shoe or the crying of a bird. The ghost of his uncle begins appearing to him and, as he gradually loses his grip on reality, the police figure out what he has done and chase him down. In the ending sequence, we learn that the experience was all a dream and that his uncle is really alive. They make up, and the nephew gets to marry the sweetheart.

Cast

* Henry B. Walthall as the nephew *

as his sweetheart *

as the uncle *

George Siegmann George A. Siegmann (also credited as George Seigmann; February 8, 1882 – June 22, 1928) was an American actor and film director in the silent film era. His work includes roles in notable productions such as ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915), ' ...

as the Italian * Ralph Lewis as the detective *

Mae Marsh Mae Marsh (born Mary Warne Marsh; November 9, 1894U.S. Census records for 1900, El Paso, Texas, Sheet No. 6 – February 13, 1968) was an American film actress whose career spanned over 50 years. Early life Mae Marsh was born Mary Warne Marsh i ...

as the maid * Robert Harron as the grocery boy *

George Beranger George Beranger (27 March 1893 – 8 March 1973), was an Australian-born silent film actor, director and film writer in New York and Hollywood.Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central ...

Wallace Reid William Wallace Halleck Reid (April 15, 1891 – January 18, 1923) was an American actor in silent film, referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". He also had a brief career as a racing driver. Early life Reid was born in St. Lou ...

⁣ — the doctor

Reception

Dennis Schwartz, labeling the film with a grade of B−, labeled it as a film with important historical value as "the first great American horror film."

References

External links

* * 1914 films 1914 drama films 1914 horror films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films 1910s horror drama films American black-and-white films American horror drama films American silent feature films Articles containing video clips Films based on multiple works Films based on poems Films based on The Tell-Tale Heart Films directed by D. W. Griffith Mutual Film films Silent American drama films Silent American horror films Surviving American silent films English-language horror drama films {{1910s-horror-film-stub