Ghosts in the Archives - Gothic Tales from Early Cinema

Join researcher Alex Kirstukas to uncover ghost stories of early cinema, silent films, live commentary and archive insights.

What ghosts haunt the archives of film history? When cinema came to Britain, early filmmakers were fascinated by ghosts and the occult, retelling classic ghostly and gothic stories like A Christmas Carol and The Mistletoe Bough as well as inventing new stories about the ongoing craze for spiritualism.

On another level, with more than 90% of silent films now missing and presumed lost, film history itself has become an experiment in raising ghosts. What spectral stories lurk in the shelves of the archives?

This illustrated talk features samples of early gothic ‘ghost story’ films presented with live commentary, alongside archival insights into the ghostliness of film history itself.

About the speaker:

• Alex Kirstukas is a postgraduate researcher in drama and music at Royal Holloway University of London, currently studying connections between live performance and early film on an AHRC/technē Collaborative Doctoral Award with The London Archives.

What to expect:

• The talk will last approximately 50-60 minutes followed by Q&A.

IMPORTANT: This talk will be taking place in-person only at The London Archives.