Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thwarted by his despotic uncle from continuing his love affair, a young man turns to thoughts of murder. Experiencing a series of visions, he sees murder as a normal course of events in life and kills his uncle. Tortured by his conscience, his future sanity is uncertain as he is assailed by nightmarish visions of what he has done.

"The first great American horror film"

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." Perhaps, Griffith's only horror element but still a pathbreaking material for a crime genre which was later renamed as murder mystery. An instant and profound classic. D.W. Griffith takes Edgar Allen Poe classics "Annabel Lee" and "The Tell-Tale Heart"; and, with some good additions, creates a melancholy mood, right from the start. The performances are terrific. Walthall is very impressive, in one of his best pre-"Birth" roles. Sweet and Aitken are outstanding. The Griffith production company's supporting cast is, as usual, extraordinary. Robert Harron and Mae Marsh provide perfect contrast as a grocery boy and maid.

If DW Griffith is fondly remembered at all these days, it is usually for his exhilarating rides-to-the-rescue or the breathtaking pageantry of his epics. Those who have studied his work in any depth will of course know of his fine and subtle handling of drama and romance. However far fewer have commented on his masterful evocation of atmosphere. This, his only entry into the horror genre, a genre that is nine-tenths atmosphere, is appropriately steeped in it.

A legendary filmmaker and the birth of the horror genre

Griffith was of course a visual storyteller, but he learnt techniques of narrative and exposition from the world of literature. In the Avenging Conscience, he not only bases his story on the work of Edgar Allen Poe, but he juxtaposes the horrific with the beautiful and tender, as did Poe, Bram Stoker and many other Victorian horror writers. This uncomfortable contrast is established from the very first scene. As the opening shot fades in, we are clearly looking at a funeral scene, but then cut immediately to a baby in his cot – innocent life in the midst death.

Throughout the picture Griffith shows an unusually high number of inserts which do not directly tell part of the story, but which add layers of terror or revulsion – such as a howling wolf or an owl hooting in the trees. A dreamlike tone is maintained throughout, with few title cards, but some snippets of Poe's poetry that relate to the story only in an abstract manner.

Death & Drama

The Avenging Conscience contains some wonderful examples of Griffith's handling of dramatic depth. He keeps his camera at a respectful distance during the romantic scenes, refraining from facial close-ups until the latter moments, and then only using them sparingly to give them maximum impact. Some might pick at the fact that the camera is always static, and there is little editing within the scene, but in fact this just goes to demonstrate just how much a director can do with movement within the frame. To take one example from this picture – in the earlier scenes at the uncle's house, there is a birdcage with a few canaries hopping around inside it. In later scenes it is covered up, twisting forlornly on its hook. It's a great touch to establish mood, but Griffith doesn't draw our attention to it with a clumsy close-up or lumbering pan; our eyes will be drawn to it because it is moving while other things in the frame are still. Audience members will notice it without feeling like they have been forced to notice it.

The Avenging Conscience is one of the most unique and remarkable shots in his canon, creeping us out with horror imagery five years before Caligari, creating tension out of guilt thirty years before Double Indemnity, with a climax that will startle those who think they know Griffith's cinema.

D. W. Griffith mastery

It's gratifying just to watch a surviving silent film, for there are far too many that have been lost over the years. Some have weathered time better than others, whether in terms of expression of values that are no longer acceptable or just with regards to the physical condition of prints preceding preservation. Each restoration is different, it’s always about the source material. While filmmaker D. W. Griffith is equally legendary for his most lauded contributions to cinema and notorious for his most vilified contributions, thankfully 'The Avenging Conscience” is a title that holds up pretty well all around.  The tale is compelling, and well written. There are touches here of deviousness and atmosphere that lend gratifying flavor to the proceedings; where Griffith's narrative discretely illustrates Poe's influence, the flourishes of the "master of the macabre" are felt quite effectively with strong scene writing.

Between some wonderful details in the writing, admirable and wholehearted acting from the cast, modest yet superb effects, and Griffith's firm oversight as director to make it all count, there is a palpable air of horror that manifests as the plot advances. All the while, we're treated to the excellence one hopes of a filmmaker so generally esteemed: the sets and filming locations are outstanding, flush with swell minutiae; the costume design, hair, and makeup are fetching. The more robust moments come off well - and are surprisingly dark, not least at the climax - and G. W. Bitzer's cinematography remains crisp and vivid even over 100 years later.

A dark, must-see movie

The terrifying consciousness that haunts our coherent reality is distorted in the most visionary technicalities of experimental filmmaking, a subtle beginning to the capacity and great effect that D.W. Griffith discovered, his unquenchable methods that opened up the possibilities of cinema as a language of narrative art are to be found even in his quietest steps before 1915. This is the first psychological horror movie, a study of the dark side of a man's mind. It has at its core a lengthy dream sequence in which the hero envisions the consequences of the crime he is contemplating. Griffith uses double exposure, dramatic lighting, symbolism, tight editing to compress time, a framing device to direct attention to specific objects by changing the shape of the screen image, and a moving camera. Cut loose from the conventions of the stage which limited serious filmmaking at the time, The Avenging Conscience was a total departure and an important breakthrough in the development of film as an art form.

Based on works by Edgar Allan Poe, The Avenging Conscience is a film concerned with morals and values. D.W. Griffith always made films very much rooted in Christian philosophy and beliefs. It's a dark film for its era, showing a slow murder and a body being hidden in a wall. It shows nature as being filled with murder and humanity barely rising above that. However, despite the murder coming from a place of love, the terror of guilt hangs over the picture through ghosts and hallucinations. As a film, The Avenging Conscience shows off the filmmaking fluidity that Griffith would perfect on a larger scale in The Birth of a Nation. For some silent movie enthusiats The Avenging Conscience can be considered as a distinctly minor work, for others it’s an essential film which lays the foundations for the horror genre.

Tension rises

The film's sense of tension is at times reminiscent of Hitchcock's style, particularly in the scene of the uncle's murder. Griffith knows how to use suspense to hold the audience's attention and keep them on the edge of their seats. In the latter part of the film, the main character's anxiety and disquiet are conveyed to the audience through the increased use of close-ups and very close-ups. This technique enhances the viewer's immersion and creates a powerful cinematic experience. Ultimately, "The Avenging Conscience" is an early example of D.W. Griffith's cinematic genius, with impressive direction, well-managed tension and a subtle evolution of visual style. Despite an initially slow build-up, the film offers a memorable cinematic experience and testifies to Griffith's innovative talent in the art of filmmaking.

Haunted by guilt

What's fabulous about this film is the way it depicts the development of an idea in an individual. First it's unconsciously suggested, then it becomes obvious after a moment's hesitation, before being repressed and finally executed. The devilishly effective editing captures every emotion. Griffith's genius shines through when, later, the remorseful hero is plagued by nightmares. The first hallucinations are simply frightening, the protagonist's anguish spreads to the viewer, and the psychological descent into hell that follows is all the more gripping. The interrogation sequence is a real eye-opener, as the atmosphere is perfectly captured on screen.

The film manages to convey a feeling of suffocation by projecting us directly into the hero's consciousness, using well-defined codes that, at the time, were quite innovative. Griffith even manages to depict an enclosed, overly noisy environment, which could be considered a tour de force in the silent era. The Avenging Conscience is a macabre drama in which love is the trigger for the chaos that sweeps the hero away. As the criminal-turned-hero descends into madness, D.W. Griffith establishes a climate of horror, depicting a veritable descent into Hell with a very expressionist aesthetic before its time. Death incarnate as a skeleton binds the hero, strange masked characters take up residence in his mind, the ghost of his uncle comes to remind his nephew of the crime he committed... Melodrama gradually turns into a of horror film, where only a fatal outcome seems possible.

New 4K restoration available on blu-ray and digital download

The Avenging Conscience has never been released in blu-ray before. In 2024, for its 110^th anniversary, thanks to a new 4K transfer from a 16 mm print, the first 4K restoration of D.W. Griffith’s pre-code horror classic became possible. Discover an all-new black and white version with never-before-seen bluish hues. Backers will receive a region free Blu-ray (BD-R). The number of copies will depend of the number of backers but be sure it will be a very limited run. All blu-rays will be produced and shipped from France. It won’t be available elsewhere, it’s an Indiegogo exclusive. Secure your limited copy today, be part of the restoration and have your name in the ending credits!

New soundtrack

The piano score will be performed by Belgian composer Laurent Pigeolet.  Pigeolet is a silent movie pianist but he's also a composer known for his "extension" of Léos Janacek's Sonata 1/X/1905. His project to rewrite and continue Janacek's work has gone around the world. Pigeolet also composed the music for our restorations of The Magician, Warning Shadows and By The Law. This new soundtrack will be recorded in Belgium. Listen to Laurent Pigeolet's work.