The Unknown (1927)

Country: USA

Released: June 4th, 1927

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Tod Browning

Produced by: Irving G. Thalberg

Written by: Tod Browning & Waldemar Young

The Unknown, besides being painfully misstitled, is a really, really weird film. Though what else could one expect from Tod Browning, director of Dracula and the cult classic Freaks (both of which are also on the list)? Yet it's its weirdness that makes it so damn fun to watch, especially after the generic slog that was Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.

The Unknown is a horror film set in a Spanish circus and is probably the earliest example of the carnival subgenre of horror film, serving as inspiration to all subsequent entries in the genre such as Balada Triste de Trompeta (The Last Circus) and The Funhouse. The film stars Lon Chaney as Alonzo the Armless, an ex-criminal masquerading as an armless knife-thrower who falls deeply in love with his assistant Nanon (Joan Crawford). Nanon has a crippling fear of men's hands stemming from on implied history of abuse, and in a bid to make her fall for him Alonzo blackmails a surgeon into amputating his arms so that she'll never discover that he's been faking his disability the whole time. However after the surgery Alonzo discovers that Nanon has gotten over her fear and fallen deeply in love with the seductive Malabar (Norman Kerry), the circus' strongman. Driven insane by this revelation Alonzo tries to murder Malabar but fails and ends up perishing in the process. The film ends with Malabar and Nanon living happily ever after.

Let me just get this out of the way right now: Lon Chaney is bloody fantastic. He was great in The Phantom of the Opera and yet he still manages to blow that performance out of the water in The Unknown. This is easily the best performance I've seen on this list so far and maybe one of the best performances I've ever seen in any film ever. Chaney is a master of emotion and can deliver some of the most nuanced reactions ever put to film. He can display so much with just a look that one wonders why they bothered using intertitles at all. The scene in which he learns that Malabar has seduced Nanon using the advice he gave him is brilliant, and the way Chaney starts laughing maniacally through crazed tears is absolutely haunting. Despite acting alongside Hollywood legend Joan Crawford he still manages to steal the show. I also want to give a shout out to Paul Desmuke, Chaney's armless double who provided the feet for many of his scenes.

Chaney's performance coupled with a haunting score featuring a healthy dose of calliope music made for one genuinely creepy feature. There are no loud, jump scares to startle the audience like in contemporary horror movies, but what the film lacks in outright terror it makes up for in ambiance; there's an eerie strangeness that permeates the film and had me at the edge of my seat throughout. But I guess what really makes this movie is the sense of genuine effort that went into making it. This is most easily recognized in the thematic layers written into the film. Having Alonzo get rejected by Nanon, who until recently feared male hands, after getting his removed is made all the more ironic by the fact that she falls for a strongman. The film's climax is also deliciously poetic, with Alonzo trying to sabotage Malabar's act so that he'll literally have his arms ripped off. It's one of those rare instances where the blatant symbolism is preferred over subtly, as otherwise it would have been buried by the heightened emotional energy inherent in horror.

The film isn't perfect however. While it is a nitpick of the most pedantic caliber the title is pretty weak. Not since Edge of Tomorrow as a film so awesome been named something so lame and generic. It also doesn't make much sense. There isn't anything unknown about The Unknown, it's not like there's a shocking twist or big mystery or anything. You know what would have been a much better title? Manos: The Hands of Fate. You've heard of Manos haven't you? Well seeing as how if you're reading this your probably my dad, so no, you haven't. Manos: The Hands of Fate is a low-budget horror movie from 1966 and largely considered the worst film ever made. It also has nothing to do with hands. They should have called that The Unknown and this Manos. Yes I know this is a weird tangent to go on but shut up. The ending is also unsatisfying. I know that for the 20s not having a happy ending is budget poison, but the whole 'they live happily ever after' thing feels especially out of place in a movie as dark as this. Still, these complaints are but drops in a sea of awesomeness.

And yeah, that's really all I have to say about it. This is probably because of how short it is, barely fifty minutes long. But I like that. It doesn't overstay it's welcome. It doesn't have any grand sets or crazy set-pieces, much like La Souriante Madame Beudet it's a short film about characters and their emotional struggles. And also like Madam Beudat it's a damn fine movie. Definitely give it a look.