London After Midnight (lost Lon Chaney mystery horror film; 1927)
London After Midnight was a 1927 silent mystery film written and directed by Tod Browning, and starring Lon Chaney. The plot involved Inspector Edward Burke (Chaney) investigating the murder of Sir Roger Balfour in London.
After finding a suicide note, the case is closed and seemingly forgotten, however, 5 years later the Balfour residence is re-inhabited by a man in a beaver-skin hat, with dark sunken eyes and fangs. People begin to wonder if it is Balfour back from the dead, although in fact, it ends up being Inspector Burke himself in disguise, for the purpose of catching the murderer.
The last known surviving copy of this film was destroyed in the 1967 MGM Vault fire, and as such, it is today one of the most sought after lost films of all time. The film was remade into a talkie in 1935 by the same director, titled Mark of the Vampire. Additionally, in 2002, a 45 minute reconstructed version of the film was released, using still photographs. These still photographs, as well as several advertisement posters, are the only known surviving visual evidence of the film.
