Culture news and discussion on TalkFuse.
The 1929 movie that gave Billy Bob Thornton a lifelong phobia: “That’s how the whole thing started”
Billy Bob Thornton has said that watching the 1929 film *The Unholy Three* as a child triggered his lifelong fear of antique furniture. The actor linked the phobia to a scene involving a ventriloquist’s dummy and a sinister old-fashioned setting, saying it was where “the whole thing started”.
*The Unholy Three*, directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney, follows criminals who use disguises to carry out robberies. Thornton’s fear has reportedly affected his daily life, particularly around antique furniture, and he has spoken about it publicly on several occasions.
In short
- Thornton links an antique-furniture phobia to *The Unholy Three*.
- He saw the 1929 film as a child.
- The film starred silent-era actor Lon Chaney.
Explained simply
Billy Bob Thornton, the American actor, has stated that watching the 1929 film The Unholy Three as a child sparked a lifelong fear of antique furniture. He traces his phobia back to a scene involving a ventriloquist's dummy set in a sinister old-fashioned setting.
The Unholy Three was directed by Tod Browning and starred the silent-film actor Lon Chaney. The film is a crime thriller about criminals who use various disguises to carry out robberies.
Thornton has spoken publicly about the phobia multiple times, noting that it has affected his daily life, particularly around antique furniture. The actor has attributed his persistent fear directly to that scene from the film he watched as a child.
Art Celebrity Culture Entertainment Film