Although many film critics might not characterize The Hunchback of Notre Dame as a horror film as a whole. There is a certain appeal to many early horror film enthusiasts since it stars one of the genres most famous silent actors, Lon Chaney. Chaney's appearance had to be unsettling to many film-goers in the early 1920's, in which he had realistic looking deformities and used psychotic mannerisms to portray the lead character. Along with Chaney, the additional cast members did a really good job at playing their parts. Patsy Ruth Miller, who played the desired Esmeralda, had good screen presence and really sold that ridiculous dance that was always called upon her by the other characters. Perhaps the best performances were that of the film's villains, Ernest Torrence as Clopin, and Brandon Hurst as Jehan. Torrence really showed Clopin's desperateness effectively and Hurst played a great cunning and evil Jehan.
The pace of the story was also another great component of the film. The run-time is a bit long for my liking for a silent film but there never was a bad scene. There could have been some better use of dialogue and less description in spots were reading is involved but the scenes were not overly or under-used. The location props and scenery was done pretty well in itself too, looking like the actual Notre Dame church and yard. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a silent classic that does drag in spots but is definitely worth one view.
The pace of the story was also another great component of the film. The run-time is a bit long for my liking for a silent film but there never was a bad scene. There could have been some better use of dialogue and less description in spots were reading is involved but the scenes were not overly or under-used. The location props and scenery was done pretty well in itself too, looking like the actual Notre Dame church and yard. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a silent classic that does drag in spots but is definitely worth one view.