Performance & Direction: A Terrible Night Review
Last updated: January 21, 2026
Quick Verdict: Hit or Flop?
Is A Terrible Night (1896) worth watching? According to our cinematic analysis, the film stands as a AVERAGE with a verified audience rating of 5.2/10. Whether you're looking for the box office collection, ending explained, or parents guide, our review covers everything you need to know about this Comedy.
Cast Performances: A Masterclass
The success of any Comedy is often anchored by its ensemble, and A Terrible Night features a noteworthy lineup led by Georges Méliès .
Performance Analysis: While the cast delivers competent and professional performances, they are occasionally hampered by a script that leans into familiar archetypes.
Final Verdict: Is it Worth Watching?
In summary, our editorial assessment of A Terrible Night (1896) is mixed. With an audience rating of 5.2/10, it stands as a highly recommended experience for genre enthusiasts.
Story & Plot Summary: A Terrible Night
Quick Plot Summary: A Terrible Night is a Comedy, Horror film that brings laughter through sharp writing and comedic timing, providing amusement while touching on deeper societal themes. This summary provides a scannable look at the movie's central conflict and narrative structure.
Ending Explained: A Terrible Night
Ending Breakdown: A Terrible Night attempts to tie together its various plot elements. The finale presents its approach to comedy resolution.
The conclusion addresses the core thematic questions, offering viewers material for post-viewing discussion.
Ending Analysis:
- Narrative Resolution: The story concludes by addressing its primary narrative threads, providing closure while maintaining some ambiguity.
- Character Arcs: Character journeys reach their narrative endpoints, reflecting the film's thematic priorities.
- Thematic Payoff: The ending reinforces the comedy themes established throughout the runtime.
The final moments of A Terrible Night reflect the filmmakers' creative choices, offering an ending that aligns with the film's tone and style.
Who Should Watch A Terrible Night?
Consider Watching If:
- You're a completist for Comedy films
- You're curious despite mixed reviews
- You have low expectations and want casual entertainment
Top Cast: A Terrible Night
All Cast & Crew →
A Terrible Night Parents Guide & Age Rating
1896 AdvisoryWondering about A Terrible Night age rating or if it's safe for kids? Here is our cinematic advisory:
⏱️ Runtime & Duration
The total runtime of A Terrible Night is 1 minutes (1m). Ensuring you have enough time for the full cinematic experience.
Final Verdict
Analyzing the audience sentiment, IMDb rating of 5.2/10, and global collection metrics, A Terrible Night stands as a challenging project for the creators. It remains an essential piece of the 1896 cinematic year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is A Terrible Night worth watching?
A Terrible Night is definitely worth watching if you enjoy Comedy movies. It has a verified rating of 5.2/10 and stands as a AVERAGE in our box office analysis.
Where can I find A Terrible Night parents guide and age rating?
The official parents guide for A Terrible Night identifies it as Not Rated. Our detailed advisory section above covers all content warnings for families.
What is the total runtime of A Terrible Night?
The total duration of A Terrible Night is 1 minutes, which is approximately 0h 1m long.
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Critic Reviews for A Terrible Night
Georges Méliès does it again in the same fashion as Le Manoir du Diable. Albeit shorter than his prior voyage into horror film. This is at least a different story. Instead of this being a period piece, it appears to be a modern one. The film shows George Melies, himself, having One Terrible Night with a creepy, crawly, spider. The film is one of dozens of shorts released during the era that focused more on drawing crowds biased on technology rather than the plot of a film. It is still going to be a few years before Horror is fully shaped and functioning. If you are curious to see what film looked like in the 1800's then check out below where I have included the short.
This one is kind of goofy, and I like the special effect used for the bug, but quite honestly the reactions after the bug doesn't make sense, even for a "one of the first ever films" vibe. He starts swinging at other bugs after the first huge one dies, but you see nothing during the time. It might be because of quality, but it seems unnecessary. It's very interesting to review this film, however, considering it's still part of the horror genre, as it shows how deeply instilled comedy can be in horror even from the very beginning of the film genre. Camp too! It can be classified as a campy film, and I honestly believe camp and horror go hand in hand.
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This review has been verified for accuracy and editorial quality by our senior cinematic analysts.
This analysis is compiled by our editorial experts using multi-source verification and audience sentiment data for maximum accuracy.
