A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The year was 1918, a century ago. This was the first movie to have scenes that combine live-action with stop-motion animation. The scenes were intercut because there was no split screen effects and no special projectors. We get to see a T-Rex for the first time, a Brontosaurus, a Triceratops, and for the first time, a Diatryma which is a prehistoric flightless bird. It is one of the those stories where a guy dreams he meets the ghost of Mad Dick (played by Willis O'Brien, who did the dinosaur effects for this film), who shows him a device that can see through time. When the Tyrannosaur sees him he chases him and it turns out to be a dream. Whoop-dee-freakin'-doo. End it by all means of Lewis Carroll. While the ending is meh, you got to admit that the only good parts here are the stop-motion dinosaurs by Willis O'Brien. To know more about the classic, I suggest you read the book, "Silent Roar." Not rated but it contains some blood.

A man (co-writer Herbert M. Dawley) ventures into the woods with his friend and a dog. The guy has a dream in which he encounters the ghost of an old hermit (director and legendary special effects artist Willis H. O'Brien) with a magic telescope that enables the guy to see dinosaurs back in prehistoric times. Told as a simple and straightforward little story by an uncle to his nephews sans any pretense, this picture manages to vividly capture a true sense of awe and wonder in an innocent and appealing way. Moreover, O'Brien not only makes good use of the sweeping valley location, but also maintains both a steady pace and a pleasant tone throughout. The stop-motion animation creatures all look pretty cool: A brontosaurus, a giant bird, a triceratops, and the ever-popular Tyrannosaurus Rex, which fights, kills, and eats the triceratops before chasing after our hero. In addition, O'Brien's special effects still hold up really well and are quite impressive for the period (O'Brien also deserves extra praise for his accurate rendering of the dinosaurs as large lumbering beasts). A fun vintage silent movie.

This early film, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest surviving gems of early film. The stop-action dinosaurs are as good, considering the technology available, as the great Harryhausen figures in the 60's and 70's.I was a bit concerned when the film started that it would be really corny, and when the boys uncle tries to get his best friend to pose for a risqué portrait, I began wondering exactly what kind of film this would be. But my fears were unfounded, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The canoing scenes are reminiscent of a lot of early travel films, and the telling of scary stories around the campfire brings back fond memories of my own grandfather.As a grandfather now myself, who loves to relate scary stories to my young grandchildren, I absolutely love the ending scenes, and the reaction that the boys have to hearing this story from their 'Unca' ... well worth the watch - still as enjoyable as it was almost a hundred years ago.

Ghost of Slumber Mountain, The (1918) *** (out of 4) A man travels to Slumber Mountain where he encounters a ghost who takes him to a part of the island where dinosaurs rule. This short film by Willis H. O'Brien starts off very slow but when the stop motion starts up things pick up some. The highlight includes a T-Rex eating another dinosaur and then another scene where the T-Rex is shot in the head. O'Brien also plays the ghost in the film. If you're a fan of The Lost World or King Kong then you should enjoy this film.The movie is now available on a few public domain releases but the quality is pretty poor. Turner Classic Movies shows a restored print from time to time.