Chained for Life

1951

1h 8m

Drama

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Reviews

16%

Audience Score

50+ Ratings

Siamese twins (Daisy Hilton) stand trial together after one is accused of killing the other's husband.

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Jeremy Heilman

MovieMartyr.com

[It] becomes something of a freak show. There's little here beyond the twins' unique condition to warrant viewing the film, which somewhat undercuts the overall message of assimilation.

Rated: 57/100

Aug 4, 2011

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Shane Burridge

rec.arts.movies.reviews

Stake[s] out supposedly serious territory to justify our own morbid fascination in the subject

May 23, 2006

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Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Lame, cheap exploitation picture. Curio value only.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 12, 2004

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Phil Hall

Film Threat

Fascinating, forgotten exploitation curio.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 8, 2002

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Jeff M

Without a doubt one of the most hypnotically bizarre movies I've seen. In spite of its dismal production values, amateurish acting and all that fun stuff, it somehow develops a bizarre hold on the viewer, and one can't help but be compelled not to turn away. To borrow the old expression, it is indeed like watching a car crash. After watching, I read up about this a little bit, and it turn out the Hilton Sisters were indeed conjoined twins in real life, and some of the details here were based on their lives. It is true when one of them wanted to marry, they were continually denied a marriage license as it would have been considered bigamy. Go figure! The fact that it all takes place in the world of vaudeville only adds to the bizarro factor of it all. Definitely a curiosity - and I can pretty much guarantee you'll never see anything quite like it ever again. They only thing I can think of that's even slightly similar is the FREAK SHOW season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY, if only because it also featured conjoined twins.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

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Audience Member

[It] becomes something of a freak show. There's little here beyond the twins' unique condition to warrant viewing the film, which somewhat undercuts the overall message of assimilation.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

I absolutely loved Chained For Life and I think it is a seriously underrated film. The premise is strange, yet fascinating and compelling, while posing some interesting questions. While it can be cheesy at times, for the most part I had a blast with it and I was generally engaged by its madness. It's a curious film that has mostly been lost, sadly, because I think it deserves more attention than it has gotten. It's way better than you might think.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Audience Member

Chained For Life's redeeming entertainment value is of the siamese twin gimmick. otherwise it would have been a total snoozer.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

Cheap, poorly made exploitation about conjoined twin sisters, with one of them being put on trial for murder. Exploitation isn't' necessarily bad, but when it's boring and poorly executed, it's excruciating. The Hilton Sisters were featured in Tod Brownings "Freaks", but this film contains none of the artistry or humanity of Brownings far superior film.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

Real life conjoined twins (the Hilton Sisters) star in this exploitation novelty that's actually pretty good. When one of the sisters commits a murder how should they be tried?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Edward Weston

Director

Daisy Hilton

Dorothy Hamilton

Allen Jenkins

Hinkley

Mario Leval

Andre Pariseau

Violet Hilton

Vivian Hamilton

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Synopsis

Siamese twins (Daisy Hilton) stand trial together after one is accused of killing the other's husband.

Director: Edward Weston
Production Co: Spera Productions Inc.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 7, 2015
Runtime: 1h 8m

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