6 Best Lon Chaney Movies

By Vlad Zakh · May 12, 2026

Lon Chaney brought legendary transformative presence to Hollywood silent film and became known as The Man of a Thousand Faces for his groundbreaking makeup and physical performances. The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera are the monster landmarks, He Who Gets Slapped makes a humiliated scientist a circus clown, The Unknown hides an armless knife-thrower’s dark secret, and The Penalty and Outside the Law round out the list.

The Unknown (1927)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Lon Chaney stars in this Tod Browning silent about an armless circus knife-thrower who conceals a dark secret while pursuing the woman he loves.

Directed by Tod Browning · 1h 08m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Bloodstream · Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Lon Chaney stars in this silent horror classic about a disfigured musical genius who haunts the Paris Opera House, obsessed with a young singer he's determined to make a star.

Directed by Rupert Julian · 1h 47m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Shudder · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

He Who Gets Slapped (1924)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A humiliated scientist reinvents himself as a masochistic circus clown, hiding a burning desire for revenge.

Directed by Victor Sjöström · 1h 12m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: TCM, Eternal Family · Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

TMDB ★ 7.2

Clarence Wilson appears in this Lon Chaney silent about a deformed bell-ringer who risks everything to protect a persecuted gypsy woman from a corrupt priest.

Directed by Wallace Worsley · 1h 53m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Brew, MGM Plus, Fandor Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Outside the Law (1921)

TMDB ★ 5.9

Lon Chaney appears in this silent crime drama about a reformed criminal whose attempt to go straight is jeopardised by her former gang's scheme.

Directed by Tod Browning · 1h 16m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Penalty (1920)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Clarence Wilson features in this Lon Chaney silent about a double amputee criminal mastermind who plots elaborate revenge against the doctor who wrongly took his legs.

Directed by Wallace Worsley · 1h 30m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: FlixFling, IndieFlix, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Lon Chaney Movies

The Unknown (1927)

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

He Who Gets Slapped (1924)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

Outside the Law (1921)

The Penalty (1920)

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