They all pursue an injured Hercules. [87] In a 2018 retrospective on Browning's career, Martyn Conterio of the British Film Institute assesses the film as "best approached with a fuller understanding of Browning’s work, specifically, the director’s emotionally complicated interest in human abnormality and the severely disabled", and considers it among Browning's films that "are pioneering and boundary-pushing, amounting to repeat attacks on Hollywood’s standardised images of beauty and glamour". "[66] The Hollywood Reporter called the film an "outrageous onslaught upon the feelings, the senses, the brains and the stomachs of an audience". [32], Among the supporting characters featured as "freaks" were Peter Robinson ("The Human Skeleton"); Olga Roderick ("The Bearded Lady");[39] Frances O'Connor and Martha Morris ("armless wonders");[40] and the conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton. [57] Disillusioned by the backlash the film received, MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer sold the distribution rights to Dwain Esper for a 25-year period for $50,000. Freaks is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film in which the eponymous characters were played by people who worked as carnival sideshow performers and had real deformities. They have their lives, too! [32] Harry Earles, a dwarf who had appeared in Browning's The Unholy Three (1925)—and who would ultimately star as Hans in Freaks—had originally proposed the idea of making a film version of "Spurs" to Browning. The film is based on elements from the short story "Spurs" by Tod Robbins. [48] Much of the sequence of the circus entertainers attacking Cleopatra as she lies under a tree was removed, as well as a sequence showing Hercules being castrated and made into a castrato, a number of comedy sequences, and most of the film's original epilogue, which included Hercules singing in a falsetto (a reference to his castration). "[15], The film's depiction of people with disabilities has been a significant point of analysis amongst film critics and scholars. Starring [81][82] The film's growing esteem among critics traces back to the early 1960s, when it was rediscovered as a counterculture cult film, particularly among European audiences. Trama. Merritt B. Gerstad IMDb rating of 7.9 Jan 07, 2020. [21] Towlson ultimately concludes that this subversion of character exemplifies a stark opposition to the core belief of eugenics, which is that physical appearance is equated with internal worth. [32] At the time of the production's beginning, the film had a budget of approximately $209,000,[32] though it would eventually expand to over $300,000. Film FreakAppearances • Images • Gallery Film FreakAppearances • Images • Gallery • Quotes Burt Weston was a former stuntman and failed actor whom preferred impersonating villains, as he considered them more complex and multidimensional. He found its "perfectly plausible story" a key to the effectiveness of its horror, writing that "It's a chilling notion to imagine these weird beings, with their own lives and vanities and passions, all allied in a bitter enmity against us." Browning declined, preferring to develop Freaks, a project he had started as early as 1927; Browning had worked with a traveling carnival prior to becoming a filmmaker. February 20, 1932 In the film's climax, Hans confronts Cleopatra with three of the entertainers as backup thugs. Clips and audio of the film was used in a music video by Insane Clown Posse for wrestling stable The Oddities, in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1998. It follows a trapeze artist who joins a group of carnival sideshow performers with a plan to seduce and murder a dwarf in the troupe to gain his inheritance, but her plot proves to have dangerous consequences. Freakshow is a 2007 independent film which was made by The Asylum, directed by Drew Bell.It is an unofficial remake of the Tod Browning film Freaks.According to the film poster and DVD cover art, Freakshow is banned in 43 countries, though there is no mention of which countries banned it. Frieda tells Hans not to blame himself for what happened and that she still loves him. [3][4] It grossed $289,000 in the United States, and $52,000 internationally. [36] Little of the original story was retained beyond the marriage between a dwarf and an average-sized woman and their wedding feast, and the setting—originally France—was relocated to the United States. Field Freak is a 2016 American horror feature film written and directed by Stephen Folker Charles, a former best selling writer, is desperately trying to pen his next book and needs a place free of distractions. [58] Critics' responses were also divided. At their wedding, Cleopatra begins poisoning Hans' wine but drunkenly kisses Hercules in front of Hans, revealing her affair. [41], Also featured were the intersex Josephine Joseph, with her left-right divided gender;[42] Johnny Eck, the legless man, who was scouted for the role while performing in Montreal;[43] the completely limbless Prince Randian (also known as The Human Torso and miscredited as "Rardion");[44] Elizabeth Green the Stork Woman; and Koo-Koo the Bird Girl, who had Virchow-Seckel syndrome or bird-headed dwarfism and is most remembered for the scene wherein she dances on the table.[32]. In response to this, MGM executive Irving Thalberg, without consent of director Browning, edited the original 90-minute feature, which was significantly cut, with additional alternate footage incorporated to help increase the running time. 1 Background 2 Characteristics 2.1 Biology 3 Appearances 4 References In the Fallout film treatment, Max refers to some mutated villagers as Fallout freaks.1 He comments that they “Came out of their vault too early. Freak Show is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Trudie Styler and written by Patrick J. Clifton and Beth Rigazio, based on the novel of the same name by James St. James.The film stars Alex Lawther, Abigail Breslin, AnnaSophia Robb, Ian Nelson, Celia Weston, Laverne Cox and Bette Midler. "[11] However, Cleopatra's mean-spirited amusement at this ceremony soon turns into fear and anger after Hercules jokes that the rest of the entertainers plan to turn her into one of them. A bold girl discovers a bizarre, threatening, and mysterious new world beyond her front door after she escapes her father's protective and paranoid control. [65] Variety also published an unfavorable review, writing that the film was "sumptuously produced, admirably directed, and no cost was spared, but Metro heads failed to realize that even with a different sort of offering the story is still important. [19] He further argues that the implied sexuality in the film—such as the implication that the conjoined twin sisters (played by Daisy and Violet Hilton) carry on their own separate sex lives[20]—is an affront to the eugenic stance against reproduction and sexual activity among the "physically unfit". Freaky is a 2020 American slasher comedy film directed by Christopher Landon, from a screenplay by Michael Kennedy and Landon, and starring Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Katie Finneran, Celeste O'Connor, and Alan Ruck.A twist on Freaky Friday, the film centers on a teenage girl who unintentionally switches bodies with a middle-aged male serial killer. However, Hans' circus wagon is overturned in a storm, giving Cleopatra the chance to escape into the forest, closely pursued by them. [35] Screenwriters Willis Goldbeck and Elliott Clawson were assigned to the project at Browning's request. Distributed By "[67], While a significant number of reviews were unfavorable, the film was well-received by some: The New York Times called it "excellent at times and horrible, in the strict meaning of the word, at others" as well as "a picture not to be easily forgotten". [46][49][50] These excised sequences are considered lost. Its consensus reads, "Time has been kind to this horror legend: Freaks manages to frighten, shock, and even touch viewers in ways that contemporary viewers missed. A conniving trapeze artist named Cleopatra seduces a carnival sideshow midget named Hans after learning of his large inheritance, much to the chagrin of Frieda, his midget fiance. The Film Freak II: Will Pfeifer David López: Catwoman (vol. He shows me little by little and I could not look. Freaks starts out (or so you think) as a film which promises to deliver some uncomfortable moments between an overprotective dad who may or may not be outright crazy as well as possibly dangerous, and his cute, socially-inexperienced, defenseless and mostly awkward little girl. [72][73] It was screened at the 1962 Venice Film Festival, and shortly after was shown for the first time in the United Kingdom, having been banned there since 1932. Images of Freaks. of world cinema considered by many to be the most remarkable film in the career of a director whose credits include the original version of Dracula (1931). [59][60] MGM attempted to address criticisms of exploitation by promoting the film as one compassionate toward its subjects, with tagline such as "What about abnormal people? Freaks "[27] Durgnat made a similar observation, writing that, like the films of Luis Buñuel, its shock value "mingles with moments which seem shallow, but by the end of the film one begins to catch their mood, a calm, cold combination of guignol and eerily matter-of-fact [sic]". Here the story is not sufficiently strong to get and hold the interest, partly because interest cannot easily be gained for too fantastic a romance." But don't faint." They act as the main antagonistic forces of the Crypt TV short film Taste. United States One day, she left the house while her father was asleep, and she was approached by an old man in an ice cream truck standing in front of her house. [34], In June 1931, MGM production supervisor Irving Thalberg offered Browning the opportunity to direct Arsène Lupin with John Barrymore. Is such a subject untouchable?". "[91], Freaks has inspired two unofficial remakes: She Freak (1967) and Freakshow (2007). Shot under the title Sardu: Master of the Screaming Virgins , it was retitled The Incredible Torture Show during its original theatrical run. Additionally, Violet, a conjoined twin whose sister Daisy is married to Roscoe, the stuttering circus clown, becomes engaged to the circus's owner. "[25], Though widely considered a horror film, some critics, such as John Thomas and Raymond Durgnat, have noted that Freaks does not fully embody the genre. The freaks then capture Cleopatra and sometime later, she is shown to be a grotesque, squawking "human duck" on display for carnival patrons; her tongue has been removed, one eye has been gouged out, the flesh of her hands has been melted and deformed to look like duck feet, her legs have been cut off, and what is left of her torso has been permanently tarred and feathered. [72] It also enjoyed a critical reappraisal in France during this period,[72] as, according to Hawkins, Browning had achieved a "certain Poe-esque stature among French intellectuals". Freaks is a upcoming 2018 Americanblack comedyhorror film co-written and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, based on elements from the short story "Spurs" byTod Robbins. Filmed in Los Angeles in the fall of 1931, some employees at MGM were uneased by the presence of the actors portraying the "freaks" on set, and, other than the so-called more normal looking "freaks", the Siamese twins and the Earles, the performers were not allowed to be on the studio lot, relegated instead to a specially-built tent. Joey Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh said that the line "Gabba Gabba Hey" was specifically taken from the scene in which "the midget groom does a dance on the banquet table and sings 'Gobble gobble, we accept you, one of us' to his bride." Little does he know, his entire family is being watched. The film is based on elements from the short story "Spurs" by Tod Robbins. Cleopatra also conspires with circus strongman, Hercules, to kill Hans and inherit his wealth. Howling VI: The Freaks is a 1991 direct-to-video horror directed by Hope Perello, from the screenplay by Kevin Rock, starring Brendan Hughes, Bruce Payne, Michele Matheson, Sean Gregory Sullivan, (a.k.a. 90 minutes While bedridden, Hans pretends to apologize to Cleopatra and also pretends to take the poisoned medicine that she is giving him, but he secretly plots with the other entertainers to strike back at Cleopatra and Hercules. Club describing it as "the film's greatest cultural legacy...  "One of us, one of us, one of us" reliably gets trotted out in situations involving an individual being forced to conform by the masses—I can recall seeing homages on both The Simpsons and South Park, and there are probably dozens of others out there. [32] Earles' real-life sister, Daisy, portrayed his dwarf love interest, Frieda. [85][86] Film scholar Jennifer Peterson cites Freaks as one of the 50 most important American films ever made. One of us, one of us. [83] Critic Derek Malcolm noted in 1999 that the film is "one of the masterpieces of baroque cinema," and a "damning antidote to the cult of physical perfection and an extraordinary tribute to the community of so-called freaks who made up its cast". Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Freaks (1932) is a shocking, bizarre and unsettling horror film, but a durable cult favorite. And only in such a case will the story appeal. An exotic spider farmer named Joshua (Tom Noonan) has been making regular visits to the site, where he collects crickets for his spiders. Cinematography [29] Smith writes that the inclusion of Freaks within the horror genre "forces our reconsideration of the genre's status [and] challenges readings in which all horror movies are seen to use monstrous bodies to the same effects". These cast members included dwarf siblings Harry and Daisy Earles; Johnny Eck, who had sacral agenenis; the conjoined twin sisters Daisy and Violet Hilton; and Schlitzie, a man with microcephaly. [3] Though not a financial success, the film had greater earnings in smaller cities such as Cincinnati, Boston, and Saint Paul than it did in larger metropolitan cities such as Los Angeles or Chicago. The film is a remake of Tod Browning's 1932 horror film of the same name. [75], Critic Kim Newman suggests that the film's warmer reception amongst mid-late-20th-century audiences was partly due to the term "freak" having taken on a more positive connotation, as something to be celebrated rather than reviled; Newman also adds that the film "shows obvious fondness for its carny cast". First I meet the midget and he adores me because we speak German and he's from Germany. It stars Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Joan Cusack, Bob Odenkirk, Keegan-Michael Key, Ed Westwick, Patton Oswalt, Vanessa Hudgens and Denis Leary.The film was issued in a limited release by Columbia Pictures on October 30, 2015. Oblivious, the other "freaks" announce that they accept Cleopatra in spite of her being a "normal" outsider: they hold an initiation ceremony in which they pass a loving cup around the table while chanting, "We accept her, we accept her. Because of its controversial content, the film was banned in the United Kingdom for over 30 years, and was labelled as "brutal and grotesque" in Canada. 2) #54 (June 2006) The Film Freak II answers to the surname of "Edison". Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer She also conspires to kill him with the help of circus strongman Hercules in order to have his wealth. Freaks è un film del 2018 scritto e diretto da Zach Lipovsky e Adam B. Stein. The news is spread among the friends by the Stork Woman. [47] Filming was completed on December 16, 1931, and Browning began retakes on December 23. "[89], Several sequences in the film have been noted for their lasting cultural impact, particularly the freaks' climactic revenge sequence, which was ranked 15th on Bravo TV's list of the 100 Scariest Movie Moments. [36] The script was shaped over five months. [32] Ultimately, Thalberg decided not to cast any major stars in the picture. [90] The banquet sequence in which the freaks chant "We accept her, we accept her, one of us" has also been noted, with Mike D'Angelo of The A.V. The film has been highly influential, now considered a cult classic that it was selected for preservation by the United States National Film Registry, in 1994 which seeks to preserves films that are classified "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[9][10]. [16][17] In his book Subversive Horror Cinema: Countercultural Messages of Films from Frankenstein to the Present (2014), critic Jon Towlson proposes that Freaks exemplifies an anti-eugenics sentiment. Eight Legged Freaks (originally titled Arach Attack, under which it was released in some parts of Europe and other countries around the world) is a 2002 horror monster comedy action film directed by Ellory Elkayem and starring David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scott Terra, and Scarlett Johansson. Language [37], Victor McLaglen was considered for the role of Hercules, while Myrna Loy was initially slated to star as Cleopatra, with Jean Harlow as Venus. Horror Film Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Browning's ambiguity on this point only enhances the film's unsettling properties. "Freaks" jostles you around too much with sequences that may or may not be real—like when she talks to a girl her age named Harper , who accuses reclusive Chloe of breaking into her sleepover—and the film doesn’t come off as intricate, so much as unfocused. The original version was considered too shocking to be released and no longer exists. [94], The song "Pinhead" by the punk-rock band Ramones was inspired by Freaks, which the band saw in Cleveland, Ohio after their gig was cancelled. [61] Freaks became the only MGM film ever to be pulled from release before completing its domestic engagements,[62] and it was pulled from distribution after its New York engagements concluded in the summer of 1932. Freaks is asking a Depression audience to identify not with the Beautiful People, but with sideshow mutations, a total underclass. "[48] Others reportedly became ill, or fainted; one woman who attended the screening threatened to sue MGM, claiming the film had caused her to suffer a miscarriage. "[12] Film studies academic Jennifer Peterson similarly identifies Freaks as an example of an "outsider film". Blood Sucking Freaks is a 1976 exploitation-splatter film directed by Joel M. Reed and starring Seamus O'Brien, Luis De Jesus, Viju Krem, Niles McMaster, Dan Fauci, Alan Dellay, and Ernie Pysher. Freaks steht für: . With Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Grace Park, Amanda Crew. [47], –1932 press release from MGM responding to accusations that the film exploited its subjects[57], Despite the extensive cuts, the film was still negatively received by moviegoers, and remained an object of extreme controversy amongst the public upon initial release. In the quiet mining town of Prosperity, Arizona, an accident involving a rabbit causes a barrel of toxic waste to land in a reservoir. [33] The studio agreed to hire Browning to direct the project based on his past success at Universal Pictures with Dracula (1931) and for his collaborations with Lon Chaney. She mocks them, tosses the wine in their faces and drives them away before berating Hans and drunkenly parading him around on her shoulders like a child. Written By John travels to Italy with his estranged wife Susan (Barbara Crampton) and blind daughter Rebecca (Jessica Dollarhide). However, her plot proves later to have dangerous consequences. Strange bumps in the night escalate into a nerve-wrecking encounter with the creature by Charles’ wife, Linda. I wanted to cry when I saw them. [81][92] It also served as a major inspiration for the fourth season of the television series American Horror Story, titled Freak Show (2014–2015). Editing By Hans, enamored of Cleopatra, ultimately marries her. [45] Baclanova recalled her time first meeting her co-stars on the set: Tod Browning, I loved him. When a reporter named Julia Pennyworth di… Freak, a 1998 film based on the Leguizamo play; Freak (online drama), an online teen drama for MySpace by FremantleMedia [6] The film had test screenings in January 1932, with many of the audience response being harsh, finding the film as too grotesque. [a] The film was shot on the MGM studio lot in Culver City, California. Directed by Tod Browning. [74] The Los Angeles Times's Mark Chalon Smith declared in a 1995 retrospective review: "Freaks is a wild ride, but it's not the monster-trip some say it is. [13] Historian Jane Nicholas suggests that the film's conclusion, in which the circus performers mutilate Cleopatra whilst chanting "one of us", is reinforcing the freaks' social currency: "It is interesting that a statement that reads as one of inclusion is often cited as one that embodies horror in the film. The chilling horror of the chant 'one of us' reveals why the freak show persists. In retrospect, numerous film critics have suggested that the film presents a starkly sympathetic portrait of its sideshow characters rather than an exploitative one, with Andrew Sarris declaring Freaks one of the "most compassionate" films ever made. Produced By The film makes it clear that the big people, personified by Cleopatra and Hercules, scorn the Freaks. [51], The truncated version—now only 64 minutes long—had its premiere at the Fox Criterion in Los Angeles on February 12, 1932. They have such nice faces, but it is so terrible...  Now, after we start the picture, I like them all so much. [54] In the United Kingdom, the film was banned by the British censors,[54][55] and remained as so for over thirty years before being passed with an X rating in August 1963. [16] In presenting this idea, Towlson cites vignette sequences that make up the beginning of the film, largely consisting of the freaks in the context of their sideshow, before Browning "begins to undercut the voyeuristic aspects of the traditional freakshow by showing the freaks engaged in the activities of everyday life, dispelling the initial shock and revulsion, and encouraging the viewer to see the freaks as individuals who have overcome their disabilities". At the same time Hercules goes to kill seal-trainer Venus for knowing about the plot. … [47] Due to the extremely unfavorable response, the studio cut the picture down from its original 90-minute running time to just over an hour. [77] Film theorist and critic Andrew Sarris echoed this sentiment, proclaiming Freaks "one of the most compassionate films ever made". Cleopatra, a trapeze artist seduces a sideshow midget named Hans, after learning of his large inheritance. Willis Goldbeck & Leon Gordon Freaks began principal photography in November 1931,[b] with a 24-day shooting schedule. [78], As of 2021[update], Freaks holds an approval rating of 94% on the internet review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 53 reviews, and boasts an average rating of 8.48/10. The song is an audience participation song, and during live performances, Leigh used to appear on stage holding a sign that bore the text "Gabba Gabba Hey". Freaks wasn't a movie even on my list to watch. The pin-heads, the half-man, half-woman, the dwarfs! Media in category "Freaks (1932 film)" The following 13 files are in this category, out of 13 total. "[55] Nonetheless, the film has still been noted for its stark horror imagery in the 21st century, with Joe Morgenstern writing in 2009 that it boasts "some of the most terrifying scenes ever consigned to film". Addressing the controversial subject matter, Mosher stated: "if the poor things themselves can be displayed in the basement of Madison Square Garden, pictures of them might as well be shown in the Rialto. Joshua shows Mike (Scott Terra), a local boy, his collection, which inc… Wallace Ford [30] Film theorist Eugenie Brinkema suggests that Freaks functions as a horror film "not because Cleo is mutilated and Hercules killed, all lightning and dark shadows—no, Freaks is a horror film because the gaze itself is horrific, because locating the gaze is a work in terror. When each of his plans failed, he faked his death in a method similar to one used by Paul Newman's and Robert Redford's characters in the movie "The Sting" Years later, he committed every crime known in films and the Gotham newspapers dubbed him "Film Freak". Tod Browning English Basil Wrangell Directed By The plot centers about events that happen in a circus full of so called "freaks", people with deformities. [72][73][74] The film's growing popularity abroad led to a renewed interest in it among American audiences, and it was subject of a retrospective review in Film Quarterly by John Thomas in 1964, in which he deemed it "a minor masterpiece".