Man Has Brain Removed and Becomes Circus Freak

by Anonymous

I can't remember the name of this 60's or 70's American film where people are trying to catch a man, and he is running from them.

The man finally gets away by jumping into the river or bay and being pulled onto a row boat. Unfortunately the people on the row boat are the ones that have been after him throughout the movie.

The last scene is the one I remember vividly. The man is standing at a carnival, amusement park or circus - opening and closing his mouth. He has a cross on his forehead where the people apparently removed part of his brain. Two of them are standing next to him and one says 'This is the best goon (or ghoul) we ever had.'

If someone can tell me the film's name so I can watch it in full, that would be nice.

Thanks in advance, Shane

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Man Has Brain Removed and Becomes Circus Freak

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May 31, 2011
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I remember this vividly. It is..................
by: Rusty G.

'The Trial'(1974) an episode of the short-lived anthology series 'The Evil Touch' hosted by Anthony Quayle. This episode is about a shady business man played by Ray Walston who plans to shut down a circus when he inherits the 11 million dollar beach front property the circus stands on. The sideshow performers prevent that from happening in a very gruesome way.
This episode gave me the creeps when I first saw it. Especially the ending you mentioned in your question. The sight of a lobotomized Walston standing there moving his mouth yet saying nothing left an impact on me as a kid. I've provided links with more info on the show. The geek (or the "goon/ghoul" as you called it) scene can be found in the Youtube clip at 2:52. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma9pekRuiXE&feature=related
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1584589/

Oct 31, 2010
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Not at all certain of this...
by: MystMoonstruck

Your description reminds me of two movies:
Nightmare Alley (1947) starring Tyrone Power, Coleen Gray, Joan Blondell

IMDb synopsis:
Stanton Carlisle is an ambitious carnie who plays scams alongside phony mentalist Zeena and her alcoholic husband Pete, working the crowd as Zeena pretends to read their minds. But Stan has no intention of staying with the carnival; he has his heart set on an upscale night club act.

When everything comes crashing down on him, Stan becomes a 'hobo' and an alcoholic. He finally ends up at a carnival where, desperate for a place to sleep, to eat and, most importantly, to get liquor, he accepts the lowest position there: the geek. As I recall, one of the men makes a comment about him being one of the best geeks they've had. However, he isn't operated on and has no surgical scars.

The other movie I'm reminded of is this though the unfortunate person is a woman:
Freaks (1932) starring Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Harry and Daisy Earles

IMDb synopsis:
A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.

***SPOILER***
At the end, the beautiful woman has been turned into a circus freak, a mindless one who squawks like a chicken.

I'll try looking around some more.

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