Pulpmovies Reviews

When it was released, Freaks was an immensely controversial film - so much so that it was (surprisingly enough) banned in the UK - largely because of Tod Browning’s use of real sideshow freaks as actors.

However, rather than exploiting the characters, Browning portrays them as ordinary men and women trying to cope, not only with their deformities, but also with the constant prejudice they suffer from physically normal members of society. In watching this film, I was reminded of the themes explored in both literature and film, such as Clive Barker’s Cabal (Nightbreed if you only saw the film) and even The Toxic Avenger, in which the freaks/monsters are portrayed as essentially decent people trying to survive in a world in which they are considered, at best laughable, and, at worse, repulsive and deserving of an early grave. As such, Freaks was very much ahead of its time and, unfortunately, still is.

Set in a French travelling circus, the plot is pretty straightforward. Hans (Harry Earles) and Frieda (Daisy Earles) are both midgets and engaged when (the beautiful) trapeze artist, Cleopatra, notices Hans watching her and decides to string him along in order to extract ever more expensive gifts from him, gifts that she immediately hands over to her lover, Hercules the circus strongman, to sell.

On learning that Hans is heir to a fortune, Cleopatra marries him and immediately sets about poisoning him. The freaks quickly become aware of what is happening and, when the opportunity arises, they take their revenge…

And that’s it. It’s a pretty straightforward plot and one that could be covered in half an hour. And if that was all there was to it, it would be little more than a footnote in the history of controversial films rather than the truly great film it is. However, there are several things, beyond its initial controversy that makes Freaks stand out.

The atmosphere of the film has to be mentioned, especially when the freaks learn what is going on. Everywhere Cleopatra and Hercules turn, the freaks are watching them - under wagons, behind steps. The silent disapproval of the freaks is clear and effectively generates an atmosphere that is both claustrophobic and oppressive.

But even before we get to this point, the film is packed with vignettes that serve to underline the essential humanity of the freaks and the constant prejudice with which they have to deal. The most obvious of these is the scene, early in the film, in which a couple of locals stumble across the freaks enjoying the sun and immediately take offence.

There are two major set pieces to Freaks. The first is the wedding feast following Hans’ marriage to Cleopatra in which the freaks attempt to welcome her into their family. Initially more interested in flirting - blatantly - with Hercules, Cleopatra eventually understands that she is being accepted as a freak and reacts with horrified disgust, banishing the freaks from her presence. This is the turning point at which the film stops being a drama and starts to become a horror film - the freaks know what is going on and begin to wait for their moment…

The climactic scene of the film is both unforgettable and probably the only time I have caught myself biting my nails in a cinema. Set during a rainstorm, the image of the assembled freaks relentlessly closing in on the injured Hercules is one of the tensest and most genuinely horrifying scenes I have seen.

Much is not shown but, as is often the case, imagining what will happen is far worse than seeing it.

There is much that is both excellent and memorable about Freaks and little to criticise. The use of real sideshow freaks lends an air of authenticity to the film that, even today, is unmatched, by makeup and special effects. Even the fact that the freaks are not particularly good actors - Daisy Earle’s dialogue especially comes across as wooden - adds, rather than detracts to the authenticity of the film.

The film even carries a message and that is that, for all their deformities, the freaks are people too - and it reminds us that values such as friendship, kindness and loyalty will always be far more important than something as skin-deep as physical beauty.

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