Freaks is a Controversial Film That Has Been Banned in Markets Across the World.
Freaks would NEVER have been made in the hyper-sensitive Political Correctness- infested world of today.
Written by BHM Contributor Ronnie Angel
March 8, 2009
Release: February 20, 1933 (U.S.)
Directed by: Tod Browning
Written by: Tod Robbins
Starring:
Wallace Ford as Phroso
Leila Hyams as Venus
Olga Baclanova as Cleopatra
Rosco Ates as Roscoe
Henry Victor as Hercules
Harry Earles as Hans
I’ve seen so many great things horror over the years that I’m hard pressed to pinpoint a "coolest moment" in horror movies. I think I may have found though, one of the single COOLEST (though dated) horror movies ever made. I can honestly say there is nothing quite as great as seeing a midget with a switchblade... unless it is a legless man polishing a gun… or a human torso carrying a knife in his teeth while crawling through the rain after a victim after rolling and lighting a cigarette using only his mouth. Let’s not forget about the classic line "Gobble gobble, gobble gobble, one of us! One of US!" All this and more is seen in the wondrously awesome film Freaks!
Tod Brownings created an immortal black and white classic of shock cinema; I know that the term "classic" is tossed around a lot nowadays, yet there is no denying the classic, influential and historical nature of this film. One of the most controversial movies in the history of film due to its almost exclusive cast of real live sideshow "freaks", this movie has been banned many times in many countries and edited down from its original
version to near oblivion. In the current climate of political correctness and hyper-sensitivity there is no denying that this film would not be made�today, just like Blazing Saddles. It is a shame that society has become so emotionally fragile and uptight.
�It is very clear upon viewing this film that the so-called “freaks” are treated fairly and portrayed in a light of intended equality, which is one of the main messages of the film. The real villains in the movie are some of the so called "normal" people, who cruelly tease and ridicule the others for being different in their circus home. One can’t help but side with the sideshow performers as you just feel bad for them.
Funny thing is, this film doesn’t really come across as a horror movie but�for the films revenge finale, instead seeming more like a lighthearted
behind the�scenes look into the lives of the performers. This film is comical (such as the case of the Siamese twins and their fiancées, one whom is a stuttering control hound), interesting and even sad as the main character, the midget Hans, pursues the woman he thinks he loves; The cruel, conniving trapeze artist Cleopatra - who is secretly working with her lover (the Strongman) Hercules to take Hans for all he is worth and even kill him!
It is easy to see the dated quality of this film, especially in the jokes and dialogue, yet this is to be expected. The film was released in 1932, after all.
Freaks is not necessarily a horror movie, even though it is always categorized as such, yet is still undeniably a piece of classic cinematic history that should not be overlooked. Questions or comments about Freaks? Discuss it on The Ossuary Forums!
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