I don't know if this is first actual film as writer and director. Anyway the film's dark plot is about London's serial killer known as the Avenger. The landlady and the landlord suspect the lodger could be the Avenger. This film is dark but definitely worth watching just to see how he evolved as a director. The cast includes Ivor Novello as the mysterious lodger. Up until film, almost all actors and actresses had only stage experience. The early silent films offered another to way act for better salaries. This silent film is actually an early thriller classic. The cast do a terrific job especially Ivor Novello. The film might have been inspired by the Jack the Ripper case in London, England.
