Are you ready to be spooked this Friday night? This Friday TCM will be featuring four of Tod Browning’s spooky films. Tod didn’t know it at the time, but he gave birth to horror movies as we know them. All his movies contain all the elements needed to make your skin crawl and stomach turn: outlandish characters, lust, envy, and murder. He specialized in a unique brand of grotesque melodrama. Browning was a director ahead of his day. What inspired this director? He was fueled by turn-of-the-century dime novels, traveling circuses and music hall performances. Can you tell?
This Friday be sure to watch four of his best films ever. Here is the list:
8:00 PM Mark of The Vampire (1927) “Set in a small Czechoslovakian village, Mark of the Vampire teams up Lionel Barrymore (as a professor of demonology) and Lionel Atwill (as a police inspector) for a murder investigation which appears to be the work of vampires. The scene of the crime is an eerie castle previously owned by the late Count Mora (Bela Lugosi), who was rumored to have murdered his own daughter (Carroll Borland) before committing suicide. Ever since that tragedy, the villagers have noticed strange sights and sounds in the vicinity of the Count’s estate, leading everyone to suspect that the place is haunted.” [Source] TCM.Com
9:15 PM Freaks—if you haven’t seen this one, you must. It will freak you out (no pun) I’ve blogged on this one before, click here to read my post on this film. Browning searched carnivals across America to find his cast. Freaks was banned in Britain and censored in America during its original release. The world wasn’t ready for this.
10:30 PM Devil Doll in this film we get to see Lionel Barrymore cross dress. Read my post on this film here.
12:00 AM London After Midnight (1927) This is TCM’s “special showing of Lon Chaney’s lost masterpiece, London After Midnight (1927), reconstructed entirely from stills. It will be the first time the film has been seen in more than 50 years in any format, as the last print known to exist was destroyed in a vault fire at MGM in the 1960s. Listed on the American Film Institute’s Ten Most Wanted “Lost” Films, London After Midnight is referred to by proponents as the most famous of lost films.” [Source: tcm.com]
1:00 AM The Unknown (1927) “Alonzo The Armless Wonder (Lon Chaney) is a circus sideshow attraction whose specialty is a knife-throwing act. With his well-trained feet, he tosses the flashing blades at his lovely assistant, Nanon (Joan Crawford), who has a deep seated fear of being touched by men. Offstage, Alonzo is not who he appears to be. Not only does he have two perfectly functioning arms (he conceals them for his act with a tightly laced straitjacket) but he is also a wanted criminal who uses the sideshow as his cover. His only weakness is an all-consuming love for Nanon which requires a major sacrifice on his part and leads to the Grand Guignol finale.” [Source Tcm.com]
Another one of Browning’s films which you have to see and that will not be featured this Friday is The Unholy Three. We get to see Hans (Harry Earles) from “Freaks,” in another eerie role. See what happens when a ventriloquist, a strong man and a midget form a criminal alliance. A must see, its horror with a humorous side.
Have a frightful weekend!
