Belphégor (English title The Mystery of the Louvre) is a 1927 horror novel by French writer Arthur Bernède, about a ghost which haunts the Louvre Museum, in reality a masked villain trying to steal a hidden treasure. It was simultaneously adapted as a movie serial starring René Navarre as Chantecoq, Bernède's fictional detective and Elmire Vautier as the villainous Belphégor.

Belphégor inspired several other adaptations, including an eponymous 1965 French television series starring Juliette Greco in the title role (but without Chantecoq), a 1965 comic daily strip, a 2001 film starring Sophie Marceau, and a 2001 French-Canadian animated television series.

The 1966 film La Malédiction de Belphégor has nothing to do with Bernède's version and was made to cash in on the 1965 television series' popularity.

[edit] Editions

• 1927, J. Tallandier
• 1929, World Wide Publishing Co., Inc. (English)
• 2001, Fayard, ISBN 2213609098
• 2001, Hachette, ISBN 2013218753

[edit] External links

• The French Wold Newton Universe - Belphegor