The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed (2001): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2001, The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed is a documentary film, running about 30 minutes.

What it’s about. This collage of interviews with the producers, John Hurt, and the makeup man comes off as both interesting and informative. Hurt's recollections about the role and the crazy makeup he worked in, are fascinating, as are the stories about the makeup artist using the real remains of John Merrick archived in the London hospital. A shorter bit has the artist explaining the exact construction of his amibitious makup, and he also narrates a slide show that includes color photos of the finished work. There are some mind-boggling stills of the real Merrick's grotesquely contorted skull, where excess bone seems to have grown like tallow dripping from a horrible candle, or a foaming tumor of excess calcification.

Who’s in it. The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed stars Jonathan Sanger as Self, Mel Brooks as Self, John Hurt as Self and Freddie Francis as Self, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.