Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3866 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-10
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 62 minutes

Amazon.com
Tod Browning, who directed Bela Lugosi in the original Dracula, stepped into even eerier territory with this 1932 story of betrayal and retribution in the circus. Evil trapeze artist Olga Baclanova seduces and marries a midget in the circus sideshow, hoping to inherit his wealth. But in doing so, she has crossed the wrong folks: the tightly knit group of nature's aberrations, who stick together like family--and who set out to avenge their little pal. Browning brought in some of the most famous sideshow attractions of the era, include Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton and Johnny Eck the Legless Boy, as well as Zip and Pip, microcephalics whose appearance in this film inspired cartoonist Bill Griffith to create his comic strip, "Zippy the Pinhead." So disturbing that it was banned for 30 years in Great Britain. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews

"These are God's children."

Freaks is a film that is entertaining and disturbing. As a matter of fact, it is just so very disturbing that it was banned for many years. When first released, the studio cut almost half an hour from it because it so disturbed audiences of the day. Freaks was directed by Tod Browning, who also is responsible for Bela Lugosi's Dracula.

Somehow this film was rediscovered by the counterculture and it became a favorite at midnight shows. If you were in college at the time, you've probably seen this film. Perhaps the theme of beauty not being what "the establishment" perceives it to be spoke to that generation. How disturbing is it to find that the real evil is in what seems the most attractive to us?

Set in a carnival populated by society's outcasts, the story's soap-opera theme is acted out by non-professionals who are, indeed, deformed in some way. That's why Freaks is so unique. Don't look for actors transformed by Hollywood make-up.

This DVD is not recommended for everyone. But if you are interested in seeing an amazing film that is made even more shocking by the times that produced it, Freaks should not be missed.

Odd classic
Tod Browning's 1932 cult classic film Freaks is not what most people seem to think it is. It is neither a blatantly exploitative film nor a film of profound compassion. Of all of his films, silent or not, it is in many ways both his most artlessly produced yet also his most indelible- even more so than Dracula, which came out a year before. Most of all, though, it is not a horror film. Yes, it is horrifying to look at the poor freaks that are onscreen, and the film has the exterior trappings of a horror film, in terms of mood and sets, but the film is really about the human desire for love, and the often impotent pursuit of it. Even the normal sized people in the film are not able to achieve real love.
The tale of the film is almost as well known as the tale within the film. The exterior story is how the film was critically lambasted, after MGM studio decisions led to its demotion from a film with A List MGM stars (Myrna Loy and Jean Harlow) to a B List film Irving Thalberg couldn't stand (reputedly exclaiming, `Well, I asked for a horror film, and this film is horrible!'). This drubbing by critics and lack of care by the studio led to the film's poor box office, and its being pulled from circulation for nearly thirty years, after being banned in many cities. However, it did enjoy more success in Europe, which fed its reputation, and a desire to be seen in its natal country by a newer, hipper generation. Then, in the early 1960s, it was pulled out of mothballs stateside and became a hit on the college and late night film circuit under many different titles, including Nature's Mistakes. In the 1980s, when videotapes of films became popular, rentals and sales cemented its niche as one of the greatest comeback films in Hollywood history. Not even the much documented travails of It's A Wonderful Life could compare with what Freaks had to endure to attain its status as a classic.
But, classic does not always equal great, nor masterpiece- two terms that are now often associated with the film. That's because the interior story of the film, and its execution, simply do not hold up well. The basic tale is about a carnival full of human oddities, and how the strongman (Henry Victor) and female acrobat (Olga Baclanova) plot to steal the fortune of the star attraction- a midget named Hans (Harry Earles), by having her marry him, then killing him.... In short (no pun intended), Freaks is neither bad nor brilliant, nor does it carry any deep nor important message, but it is fascinating to watch, albeit in the way a festering sore, or one insect eating another, can be. Is its depiction of thwarted love, vengeance, and bigotry exploitative? Of course. Is it sympathetic? Yes. The two are not mutually exclusive, and with that knowledge imparted, perhaps Freaks serves its highest, best, and only purpose.

A Classic Masterpiece!!!
I received this as a Christmas present back in 2005! This is a very good film. When it came out, it was hugely controversial. The idea of actually getting real circus freaks was, at the time, unthinkable. The little woman who played Frieda was pretty hot. In a way, it's not really scary, but shown how they were treated and how they get back at the ones who torment them. If you love classics, you'll love FREAKS!!!

"Gooble Goble, Gooble Goble, we accept you one of us!"