The Unknown (1927) Horror Thriller Drama Romance

The Unknown (1927) Movie Release Dates / Movie Details

Updated: May 04, 2024

The Unknown Plot Synopsis:

Alonzo is an armless knife thrower and gun shooter for a circus---or so he appears. He is actually a criminal with his arms intact. He and his accomplice, Cojo (a little person), are hiding from the police. Alonzo views his disguise as perfect, especially since it keeps from view an unusual deformity of his left hand that would immediately give him away as the criminal the police are searching for. Nanon, the daughter of Zanzi, the circus owner, is the target in his act. Although Alonzo is in love with her, Nanon's father despises him. Malabar, the circus strong man, is attracted to Nanon but she is repulsed by his uninhibited s**ual advances and desire to touch and hold her. Her phobia extends to the touch of any man's hand. Alonzo feeds her fears in the hopes that Nanon will fall in love with him since he is "armless". Because Zanzi discovers Alonzo really has arms, Alonzo kills him, but Nanon witnesses the killing without seeing Alonzo's face; however, she does see the telltale deformity of his left hand. As Alonzo continues to plot to steal Nanon away from Malabar, Cojo makes him realize that she will hate him once she discovers he has arms---and the deformity showing that he is her father's murderer. Alonzo decides to have both his arms amputated, which he succeeds in doing through blackmailing a surgeon. While Alonzo is away recuperating from the surgery, Nanon gets over her fear of being touched and falls completely in love with Malabar. Discovering this upon his return, Alonzo hatches a scheme to kill Malabar as he attempts his latest, most dangerous stunt.

Synopsis / Plot Summary: Alonzo is an armless knife thrower and gun shooter for a circus---or so he appears. He is actually a burglar with his arms intact. He and his accomplice, Cojo (a little person), are hiding from the police, and Alonzo views his disguise as perfect, especially since it keeps from view an unusual deformity of his left hand that would immediately give him away as the burglar. Nanon, the daughter of the circus owner, is the target in his act. Although Alonzo is in love with her, Nanon"s father despises him. Nanon is attracted to Malabar, the circus strong man, but she is also repulsed by his uninhibited s**ual advances and desire to touch and hold her. Apparently her phobia extends to the touch of any man. Alonzo feeds her fears in the hopes that Nanon will fall in love with him since he is "armless." Because Zanzi discovers Alonzo really has arms, Alonzo kills him, but Nanon witnesses the killing without seeing Alonzo"s face; however, she does see the telltale deformity of his left hand. As Alonzo continues to plot to steal Nanon away from Mirabar, Cojo makes him realize that she will hate him once she discovers he has arms---and the deformity showing that he is her father"s murderer. Alonzo decides to have his left arm amputated, which he succeeds in doing through blackmailing a surgeon. He thinks Nanon will forgive him for hiding the fact that he has ONE arm. While Alonzo is recuperating from the surgery, Nanon gets over her fear of being touched and falls completely in love with Mirabar. Discovering this upon his return, Alonzo hatches a scheme to kill Mirabar as he attempts his latest, most daring stunt. Although the stunt goes horribly awry, it is Alonzo who gets killed.

Tagline: A superb mystery thriller, unusual and startling even for a Chaney film. Lon as "The Unknown" eats, drinks, shoots a rifle and dresses with his feet. Don"t miss this startling spectacle. (Print Ad- The Cobbleskill Index,((Cobbleskill, NY)) 13 October 1927)

The Unknown Movie Information:

Whistle (2025), Forgive Us All (2025), Hell House LLC: Lineage (2025), 28 Years Later: The Bone… (2026), 28 Years Later (2025), We Bury the Dead (2024), Strange Harvest: Occult Murder… (2024), Bring Her Back (2025), Parvulos (2024), and ZombieCON Vol. 1 (2024)

Check Out the Best Horror Movies of 2026 You Must See!

Check out more movies that start with T and movies from 1927. Also, you can find more thriller movies that start with T.

(4) Movie Recommendations

Similar Movies to The Unknown (1927)(Click to Expand)

1. Freaks (1932) / (read Freaks (1932) review)
2. The Phantom of the Opera…
3. The Phantom Carriage (1921)
4. He Who Gets Slapped (1924)

The Unknown (1927) Cast (Click to Expand)

Fun Facts: 15 Real AGES of Cast

Source: IMDB, Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, HellHorror.com fans like you!