3 Movies Directed by Tod Browning

The Unknown

The Unknown

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1927-06-04

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

63 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (4993 Reviews)

Director:

Tod Browning

Cast:

Writer:

Tod Browning (story)

Waldemar Young (scenario)

Joseph Farnham (titles)

Fullplot:

Alonzo is an armless knife thrower and gun shooter for a circus---or so he appears. He is actually a burglar with his arms intact. He and his accomplice, Cojo (a little person), are hiding from the police, and Alonzo views his disguise as perfect, especially since it keeps from view an unusual deformity of his left hand that would immediately give him away as the burglar. Nanon, the daughter of the circus owner, is the target in his act. Although Alonzo is in love with her, Nanon's father despises him. Nanon is attracted to Malabar, the circus strong man, but she is also repulsed by his uninhibited sexual advances and desire to touch and hold her. Apparently her phobia extends to the touch of any man. Alonzo feeds her fears in the hopes that Nanon will fall in love with him since he is "armless." Because Zanzi discovers Alonzo really has arms, Alonzo kills him, but Nanon witnesses the killing without seeing Alonzo's face; however, she does see the telltale deformity of his left hand. As Alonzo continues to plot to steal Nanon away from Mirabar, Cojo makes him realize that she will hate him once she discovers he has arms---and the deformity showing that he is her father's murderer. Alonzo decides to have his left arm amputated, which he succeeds in doing through blackmailing a surgeon. He thinks Nanon will forgive him for hiding the fact that he has ONE arm. While Alonzo is recuperating from the surgery, Nanon gets over her fear of being touched and falls completely in love with Mirabar. Discovering this upon his return, Alonzo hatches a scheme to kill Mirabar as he attempts his latest, most daring stunt. Although the stunt goes horribly awry, it is Alonzo who gets killed.

Dracula

Dracula

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1931-02-14

Languages:

English, Hungarian, Latin

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

85 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

7.6 (30184 Reviews)

Director:

Tod Browning

Genres:

Horror

Cast:

Writer:

Bram Stoker (by)

Hamilton Deane (from the play adapted by)

John L. Balderston (from the play adapted by)

Garrett Fort (play)

Fullplot:

After a harrowing ride through the Carpathian mountains in eastern Europe, Renfield enters castle Dracula to finalize the transferral of Carfax Abbey in London to Count Dracula, who is in actuality a vampire. Renfield is drugged by the eerily hypnotic count, and turned into one of his thralls, protecting him during his sea voyage to London. After sucking the blood and turning the young Lucy Weston into a vampire, Dracula turns his attention to her friend Mina Seward, daughter of Dr. Seward who then calls in a specialist, Dr. Van Helsing, to diagnose the sudden deterioration of Mina's health. Van Helsing, realizing that Dracula is indeed a vampire, tries to prepare Mina's fiance, John Harker, and Dr. Seward for what is to come and the measures that will have to be taken to prevent Mina from becoming one of the undead.

Freaks

Freaks

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1932-02-20

Languages:

English, German, French

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

64 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

(29972 Reviews)

Director:

Tod Browning

Genres:

DramaHorror

Cast:

Writer:

Clarence Aaron 'Tod' Robbins (suggested by story: "Spurs")

Fullplot:

A circus trapeze artist, Cleopatra, takes an interest in Hans, a midget who works in the circus sideshow. Her interest however is in the money Hans will be inheriting and she is actually carrying on an affair with another circus performer, Hercules. Hans's fiancèe does her best to convince him that he is being used but to no avail. At their wedding party, a drunken Cleopatra tells the sideshow freaks just what she thinks of them. Together, the freaks decide to make her one of their own.

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