Smile for the Dead

Executive Producer: Charlie Puritano

Director: Hamilton Ward

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Genre: Documentary

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Description: Smile for the Dead is a documentary film about the spirit photography of William H. Mumler. Mumler was taking portraits of people in the mid 1800's that would develop with the ghostly apparitions of loved ones in them. He quickly blew this up into a successful business and despite being brought to court for fraud, no other photographers of the day could figure out how he was making these spectral photographs.

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Smile for the Dead dives into how he was making these images but also the why. What made these spirit photographs so captivating back then and why do they still hold such interest today? Through interviews with leading photographers who still practice the same style that Mumler did, to authors, historians and also paranormal investigators, Smile for the Dead is an extensive look into the world of Mumler's spirit photography.

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Where to watch: Smile for the Dead airs on PBS starting October 2025!

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