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Tod Browning

Tod Browning

Director, writer and producer · Died October 6, 1962, aged 82 · Louisville, Kentucky, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Tod Browning (12 July 1880 – 6 October 1962) was an American motion picture actor, director and screenwriter. Browning's career spanned the silent and talkie eras. Best-known as the director of Dracula (1931), the cult classic Freaks (1932), and classic silent film collaborations with Lon Chaney, Browning directed many movies in a wide range of genres. Description above from the Wikipedia article Tod Browning, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 12, 1880
Died
October 6, 1962 (aged 82)
From
Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Works as
Director, writer and producer
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 67 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 9% in 30 days

What are Tod Browning's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
56%
Bonds
24%
Society
10%
Self
5%
Survival
5%
Deception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 3 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 1

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 5

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Melancholic
8
Dread
6
Absurd
2
Bittersweet
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Tod Browning's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Tod Browning's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

67 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Tod Browning, le jeu des illusions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Actor

  • London After Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Story

  • Inside Job (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Story

  • Miracles for Sale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • The Devil-Doll(1936)

    Director · Producer · Screenstory

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Mark of the Vampire(1935)

    Director · Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Fast Workers(1933)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Freaks(1932)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Iron Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director · Producer

  • Dracula(1931)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Harbormaster (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Outside the Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director · Writer

  • The Thirteenth Chair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director · Producer

  • Where East Is East(1929)

    Director · Story

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • West of Zanzibar(1928)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Big City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Director · Story

  • London After Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Producer · Story

  • The Unknown(1927)

    Director · Producer · Story

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director · Producer

  • The Road to Mandalay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Director · Story

  • The Blackbird(1926)

    Director · Story

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Mystic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director · Story · Writer

  • Dollar Down (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director

  • The Unholy Three(1925)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Silk Stocking Sal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Director

  • The Dangerous Flirt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Director

  • White Tiger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Day of Faith (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Director

  • Drifting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Director · Writer

  • Under Two Flags (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Director · Writer

  • Man Under Cover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Director

  • The Wise Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Director

  • No Woman Knows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Director · Writer

  • Outside the Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Director · Producer · Story

  • The Virgin of Stamboul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

    Director · Scenario Writer

  • The Wicked Darling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • Bonnie, Bonnie Lassie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director · Scenario Writer

  • A Petal on the Current (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • The Unpainted Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • The Exquisite Thief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    Director

  • Set Free (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director · Writer

  • The Brazen Beauty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • The Deciding Kiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • Which Woman? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • Revenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • The Eyes of Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • The Legion of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Director

  • The Jury of Fate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • Peggy, the Will O' the Wisp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • Hands Up! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director

  • A Love Sublime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director · Writer

  • Jim Bludso (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Director · Writer

  • Atta Boy's Last Race (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Screenplay

  • Puppets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Director · Writer

  • Intolerance(1916)

    Screenplay · Second Assistant Director · as Crook (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Writer

  • Sunshine Dad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Screenplay · Story

  • The Burned Hand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Director

  • The Spell of the Poppy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Director

  • The Lucky Transfer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    Director

  • Bill and Ethel at the Ball (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as James Hadley - the Boss

  • Ethel Has a Steady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as James Hadley - the Boss

  • Ethel's Roof Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as James Hadley - the Boss

  • Casey's Vendetta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Antone

  • Bill Joins the W.W.W.'s (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as James Hadley, the boss

  • Bill Takes a Lady Out to Lunch... Never Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as James Hadley

  • How Bill Squared It with His Boss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as James Hadley

  • London After Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Original Concept

Career shape

A full career of 67 titles, 66 of them dated from 1914 to 2016.

Biggest box office

Dracula (1931)

$90K worldwide

Highest rated

Freaks (1932)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Dracula (1931)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting10 of 67: 8 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting52 of 67: 23 only directing, 29 with another role · typical Midcredits score81stWriting29 of 67: 6 only writing, 23 with another role · typical Midcredits score78thProducing12 of 67: 0 only producing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdOther crew1 of 67: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

67 titles, 30 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 22 of them.

By decade

1910s32 · 8 acting · 25 crew1920s23 · crew1930s8 · 1 acting · 8 crew1940s1 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Tod Browning's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 83rd percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th4

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 11 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · director, producer

Fast Workers (1933)

69th percentile spread · 12% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, producer

Freaks (1932)

Midcredits 96th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 76/100 and the pacing 52/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Tod Browning's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 47 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 12 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 2 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 55 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Tod Browning work with?

People who share at least 2 of Tod Browning's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Waldemar Young shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers