Tod Browning

 Tod Browning




The Unknown (1927)

Dracula (1931)

Freaks (1932)



RANKED:


3. The Unknown (1927)


Tod Browning's filmography deals with the grotesque and abnormal, often manifested physically as a way of symbolically demonstrating the internal ugliness that lies at the heart of every human. "The Unknown," his best silent film, is no different. Starring Lon Chaney and a very young Joan Crawford, the film deals with sexual frustration, self-mutilation, deception, and savagery. Its unflinching gaze at the unruly aspects of human behavior cemented Browning as a director fit for his carnivalesque past: showcasing the unerbelly of humanity and all its deformities.





2. Dracula (1931)


In the early 1930s, Depression-era audiences flocked to theaters to escape the stress and uncertainty of modern life. Because of this, horror films became extremely popular, as horror allowed audiences to purge their anxieties through fictional thrills and scares. The film that started this craze was Tod Browning's 1931 film, "Dracula." Based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, the film stars Bela Lugosi as the titular vampire, who tricks a real estate agent into helping him move to England so that he may feast on the blood of the humans living there. The slow pace and quiet ambiance of the film create a stuffy and suffocating atmosphere drenched in terror. The film was so successful with audiences that Lugosi's iconic portrayal would forever be the blueprint for the iconic vampire. 



1. Freaks (1932)


1932's "Freaks" is a film that encapsulates the work of director Tod Browning. It is a film that dissects human abnormality, pushes the boundaries of the traditional Hollywood images of beauty and glamor, and places those on the outside of modern life front and center. In the life of these carnival workers, their disabilities brand them 'freaks' to everyone around them. However, the true freaks of the film are those who try and take advantage of them. The carnies enact their revenge in the end, which becomes one of the most haunting scenes in film history. It is an allegory of Depression-era America, as the 'little people' must act against those who look at their lower standing with disdain and cruelty. The film is a melange of themes, ideas, and abnormalities that serves as a litmus test for audiences to determine their own monstrous nature that exists within them. 

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