--- title: "The Unknown" year: 1927 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-unknown" fi1m_id: "the-unknown" imdb_id: "tt0018528" tmdb_id: 27503 wikidata_id: "Q1197672" fi1m_score: 80 critics_reviews: 1 published: "2026-09-25T06:25:18.179067+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T06:25:23.510753+00:00" region: "PT" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Unknown (1927) Directed by Tod Browning · 1h 08m · Drama, Thriller, Romance, Horror ## Identity The Unknown - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-unknown - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-unknown - **IMDb ID:** tt0018528 - **TMDB ID:** 27503 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1197672 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018528/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/27503, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1197672 **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics: 1 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Sixty-eight minutes with Lon Chaney, and we could use a little air > Lon Chaney makes Tod Browning’s psychological horror worth the discomfort. The supporting characters are thinner than they should be, but *The Unknown* keeps us uncomfortably absorbed in Alonzo. ## Synopsis Alonzo (Lon Chaney), Malabar (Norman Kerry) and Nanon Zanzi (Joan Crawford) are the central figures in a drama that brings romance into the territory of horror. Around them are Antonio Zanzi (Nick De Ruiz), Cojo (John George) and Costra (Frank Lanning). *The Unknown* takes a psychological approach to fear, treating human feeling as its subject. Tod Browning directs this 1927 film from his own story, with a screenplay by Waldemar Young and a writing credit for Joseph Farnham. The running time is 68 minutes. ## Review *The Unknown* is an unsettling psychological horror, carried by a performance worth making time for. Tod Browning asks us to take the feelings in this romance seriously, however uncomfortable they become. Lon Chaney, playing Alonzo, makes that possible without making it pleasant. We recommend the film, with a reservation about the thinner characters around him. Its appeal depends on our willingness to spend time with someone whose feelings are becoming difficult to bear. We found Lon Chaney’s Alonzo unsettling. The intensity of the performance makes his feelings seem painfully difficult to contain, and watching him becomes uncomfortable long before our interest begins to flag. That discomfort is a large part of the pleasure of psychological horror. We want the acting to draw us closer, even when the character makes us uneasy. Here it does, without our attention drifting towards the actor’s effort. Merritt B. Gerstad’s cinematography serves that performance well. We remain absorbed in Alonzo, without finding ourselves distracted by the photography or wishing it would give the actor more room. A horror film can become so concerned with making impressive images that its people cease to matter. That does not happen here. Lucia Coulter’s costume design is similarly well judged, belonging to the heightened drama without demanding a separate round of admiration. Joan Crawford, as Nanon Zanzi, provides welcome relief from Alonzo’s intensity, although we want a fuller character for her. Norman Kerry’s Malabar is less compelling. The imbalance matters in a romance, where our interest ought to extend beyond the most forceful performance. Waldemar Young’s screenplay, from a story by Tod Browning, does not always give us enough to care about in these people separately. Too often we are waiting to return to Alonzo, rather than becoming curious about anyone else. Errol Taggart and Harry Reynolds are credited with the editing, and the pace is generally well judged. The 68-minute running time allows the discomfort to develop without making the film feel laborious. Some of the emotional emphasis does become repetitive, though. We occasionally feel that a point has been pressed after the acting has already made it clear. Those stretches are brief enough not to spoil the film’s hold on our attention. Within psychological horror, the attraction here is the opportunity to study someone we cannot comfortably dismiss. We do not need to find Alonzo sympathetic to remain interested in him. Lon Chaney makes that distinction matter, sustaining our curiosity without asking us to approve. The film is persuasive about the unpleasantness of intense feeling, even when its romance is less satisfying. Tod Browning trusts that such discomfort will keep us watching, and mostly earns that trust. Choose it for Lon Chaney, with some tolerance for a romance that leaves its supporting characters underwritten. His performance gives us plenty to think about after the film is finished. Leave it for an evening when an uneasy account of love sounds more inviting than a reassuring one. *Fi1m score 80, published 25 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is The Unknown worth watching?** *The Unknown* is worth watching for Lon Chaney’s unsettling performance, especially for those drawn to psychological horror; we score it 80 out of 100. Its 68 minutes keep us uncomfortably absorbed in Alonzo, though the supporting characters are underwritten and the romance is less persuasive than his intensity. **How long is The Unknown, and what is it rated?** *The Unknown* runs 1h 08m. It is a drama and thriller film. **Where can I watch The Unknown in Portugal?** *The Unknown* is not on any streaming or rental service in Portugal at the moment. It is available in 7 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is The Unknown, and is it suitable for children?** *The Unknown* has a UK PG certificate, but its psychological horror makes it an uneasy choice for children. We find Lon Chaney’s portrayal of feelings becoming painfully difficult to contain unsettling; the discomfort comes from the performance and the romance. The certificate allows general viewing with parental guidance, but sensitive children may find the emotional intensity disturbing. **How does The Unknown compare to Freaks?** *The Unknown* is our choice for concentrated discomfort around one character, while [*Freaks*](https://film.one/film/freaks) is better suited to an interest in cruelty and the treatment of bodily difference as entertainment. We recommend both with reservations about their romances: Chaney holds our attention in *The Unknown*, while *Freaks* offers affection for its performers without resolving the troubling business of presenting them as spectacle. **What should I watch after The Unknown?** After *The Unknown*, try [*Freaks*](https://film.one/film/freaks) (1932, Fi1m 79): For more discomfort about desire, cruelty and who gets treated as a spectacle. Then [*Eyes Without a Face*](https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face) (1960, Fi1m 86): A quieter horror whose tenderness makes its physical cruelty harder to bear; and [*Dead Ringers*](https://film.one/film/dead-ringers) (1988, Fi1m 87): Disturbing intimacy and exact performances, with little interest in offering easy reassurance. ### Reviews we read (1) - **Time Out**, TM (80/100, inferred): The review presents the film as a resplendent, morbidly psychological work. It particularly praises its casebook-like approach to horror. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-unknown) ## Details - **Director:** Tod Browning - **Director:** Tod Browning - **Screenplay:** Waldemar Young - **Writer:** Joseph Farnham - **Story:** Tod Browning - **Cinematography:** Merritt B. Gerstad - **Editor:** Harry Reynolds, Errol Taggart - **Costume design:** Lucia Coulter - **Producer:** Irving Thalberg - **Cast:** Lon Chaney as Alonzo; Norman Kerry as Malabar; Joan Crawford as Nanon Zanzi; Nick De Ruiz as Antonio Zanzi; John George as Cojo; Frank Lanning as Costra; Tom Amandares as Gypsy Running to Zanzi's Death Scene (uncredited); Margaret Bert as Fortune Teller (uncredited) - **Runtime:** 1h 08m - **Release (Portugal):** 13 February 1929 - **Genres:** Drama, Thriller, Romance, Horror - **Budget:** $217,000 - **Box office:** $847,000 ## Where to watch in Portugal Not streaming, renting or buying in Portugal at the last check. Also available in: AU, CA, EC, MX, NZ, PA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Freaks* (1932), Fi1m 79: For more discomfort about desire, cruelty and who gets treated as a spectacle. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/freaks.md) - *The Hands of Orlac* (1924): Another performance-led horror in which the body becomes a source of dread. - *Eyes Without a Face* (1960), Fi1m 86: A quieter horror whose tenderness makes its physical cruelty harder to bear. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/eyes-without-a-face.md) - *Dead Ringers* (1988), Fi1m 87: Disturbing intimacy and exact performances, with little interest in offering easy reassurance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dead-ringers.md) - *The Piano Teacher* (2001), Fi1m 82: For another troubling account of desire, carried by an uncompromising central performance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-piano-teacher.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-unknown