The Ghost of Slumber Mountain

written and directed by Willis H. O’Brien

Release: 17 November 1918
Format: Partially Animated Feature Film
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adults
Content: Debatable Time Travel
Original Language: English

Unk tells a story to his two nephews about the time when he and Joe visited the stone-covered grave and haunted cabin of Mad Dick where they (and their dog, Soxie) were able to view the prehistoric past through a queer looking instrument that accidentally allowed T. Rex onto Slumber Mountain. Sadly, at the end, Unk suggests that it was all a dream, but what does he know?!

The IMDb lists Herbert M. Dawley as a co-writer, but Wikipedia lists him as only the producer. The initial three-reel film premiered at the Strand Theater, but an unhappy Dawley cut it from over 40 minutes to about 12. Around six extra minutes were later restored by the Dinosaur Museum of Blanding, Utah, in 2016, but the full version no longer exists.

— Michael Main

Far, far away, at the foot of a cliff, a Thunder Lizard—which must have been at least one hundred feet long—appeared out of the mists of forty million years.

DEBUT

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (premiered at the Strand Theater, Dorcester, Massachusetts, 17 November 1918).

VARIANTS

3 English variants

TAGS(SPOILERS!)

Time Periods

Age of Reptiles (252 Ma to 66 Ma: Mesozoic/Triassic/Jurassic/Cretaceous): Dinosaurs’ home.
Circa AD 1900 to 1929: Present day.

Time Travel Methods

Chronoscopes

Themes

Just a Dream, Hallucination, et al.: Unk suggests it was a dream..

Real-World Tags

Dinosaurs

TIME TRAVEL ITINERARY (SPOILERS!)

From Slumber Mountain, early 1900s ⋙ to the age of reptiles. Round trip. Note: “. . . the mists of forty million years”.

INDEXER NOTES (SPOILERS!)

Credits—Although the <a href='https%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Ftitle%2Ftt0009105%2Ffullcredits%2F'>IMDb</a> lists Herbert M. Dawley as a co-writer. However, <a href='https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThe_Ghost_of_Slumber_Mountain'>Wikipedia</a> indicates otherwise, and we have chosen to not credit Dawley.
Release—At the Strand Theater on 17 November 1918, according to <a href='https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThe_Ghost_of_Slumber_Mountain'>Wikipedia</a>. This is presumably the <a href='https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FStrand_Theatre_%28Dorchester%2C_Massachusetts%29'>Strand in Dorchester, Massachusetts</a>, which opened on 11 November 1918.