History Film Forum presents: Spooky Silent Films

The History Film Forum presents a spooky double feature! Come see two American silent horror films with live musical accompaniment by the Andrew Simpson Ensemble.  

 First up is the 1917 short The Devil’s Assistant, directed by Harry A. Pollard. This groundbreaking film about love, obsession, and drug abuse—with a remarkable red-drenched sequence comparing narcotic addiction to the horrors of hell—features an original recorded soundtrack by Andrew Earle Simpson composed in 2017. The ensemble will accompany the soundtrack with new live music from Simpson, composed specially for this screening. 

 Next is the feature-length 1927 silent horror film The Unknown, directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney and Joan Crawford. This sensational and still-shocking film features Chaney, "the man of a thousand faces," as circus performer Alonzo the Armless, a knife-thrower in love with his assistant Nanon, played by Crawford. Without spoiling the film's outrageous twist, suffice it to say that Alonzo will stop at nothing to be with her. This film will be accompanied by a live performance of a brand-new score composed by Simpson. 

 Dr. Katherine Ott, curator in the Division of Medicine and Science, will start the evening by contextualizing the films within the history of health and disability. Stay after the screenings for a talkback with Andrew Earle Simpson and museum experts, facilitated by Lizzie Peabody, host of the Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast. 

The Devil’s Assistant

Runtime: 23 minutes 

Please note: This film contains depictions of drug addiction, sexual assault, abduction, natural disasters, and disturbing religious imagery. Discretion is advised. 

The Unknown 

Runtime: 66 minutes 

Please note: This film contains depictions of ableism, medical procedures, self-harm, and violence. Discretion is advised. 

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The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible. ASL services, captioning, and assistive listening devices will be provided. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email [email protected]. Two weeks’ notice is preferred.

Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Seating will be opened first to Eventbrite-registered attendees and then to walk-in visitors. When we reach maximum capacity, the event will be closed to the public.

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Andrew Earle Simpson is an acclaimed composer of opera, silent film, orchestral, chamber, choral, dance, and vocal music based in Washington, DC.  His musical works make multi-faceted, intimate connections with literature, visual art, and film, reflecting his interest in linking music with the wider world, an approach that he calls “humanistic music.”   

One of America’s foremost silent film musicians, he has performed across the United States, Europe, and South America. He is Resident Film Accompanist at the National Gallery of Art, a resident accompanist at the Library of Congress, Keyboard Artist for the Cantate Chamber Singers, and professional company member of the Alliance for New Music-Theatre. His chamber, vocal, choral, and silent film music has been recorded on the Naxos, Albany, Fleur de Son Classics, and other labels. His silent film scores have been broadcast on the Turner Classic Movies Channel, and more than 50 of his silent film orchestral, chamber, piano, and theater organ scores are available on DVD/Blu-Ray through Kino-Lorber, Flicker Alley, and others. He founded the Andrew Simpson Ensemble in 2022 to perform new, live instrumental scores for silent film. 

Andrew Earle Simpson is Ordinary (full) Professor and founder of the Master of Music, Stage Music Emphasis Composition program at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. 

Host or Publisher National Museum of American History