From: jblaque	Date: July 18th, 2011 05:12 am (UTC)		(Permalink)

"Have you ever had an actual chance to see the Lon Chaney silent London After Midnight?"

Sadly, no, as the last known copy is thought to have perished in the 1967 MGM blaze (no thanks to that rat-bastard Louie Mayer, either). I do give Turner credit for the reconstruction attempt, however... better than nothing, I suppose, for deprived fans of my generation.

The London remake you're talking about, btw, is called Mark of the Vampire, directed by the legendary Tod Browning (who also directed London) and starring Bela Lugosi, who was still riding a wave of popularity from his portrayal of Dracula (also directed by Browning) four years earlier. The original London dates back to 1927.

The other Chaney film you're thinking of is The Monster, which casts Chaney as Mad Scientist Doctor Ziska, who lures unwitting motorists into auto wrecks so he can kidnap and experiment on them in the catacombs of his asylum.

I grew up -- and to this day remain -- a Chaney groupie. As such, I vigorously recommend some of his lesser-known works for their genuine creepiness. Of course, everyone knows about Phantom and Hunchback, which are very good, but if you want to experience actual, literal tingling of the spine, check out He Who Gets Slapped and The Unholy Three, the latter being the first film on which Chaney and Browning worked together, circa 1925. Both are absolute masterpieces, IMO.