Freaks (1932)

 

“The Strangest... The Most Startling Human Story Ever Screened... Are You Afraid To Believe What Your Eyes See?” [1]. It isn’t the first cult film, but it is the one most likely to be associated with cult cinema. It is a story set in the world of the circus and sideshow performers and features love, betrayal, loyalty, and revenge. The bulk of the story deals with a female trapeze artist and a midget performer. Their world is an unusual one, as it involves sideshow performers that are paid because they have physical abnormalities.

There is so much to say about this one that whole books could be solely devoted to it. It is the first movie to show actual sideshow performers, people that were physically different than everyone else. They are shown not as freaks, but as normal people doing everyday routine things [2]. The connotation of them being labeled as freaks or monsters is not necessarily because of their appearance, as opposed to how they react to situations in the picture. There are so many themes going on; what defines a monster, the idea of a code of loyalty, and the role of violence in society [3].

The movie was an attempt by MGM to compete with Universal Studios and the popularity of its monster films such as Frankenstein [4]. Director Todd Browning had a background in the sideshow circus and he had previously done some motion pictures about physical deformities with the legendary horror actor Lon Chaney [4]. Circus stories were “going out of vogue” and horror was doing well in the film industry, so Browning thought he could merge both of the worlds together [2]. The Great Depression and the effects of the war also made it an easier idea to show abnormalities, as there were more physically disabled people visible and it was viewed more as a “medical problem” [2].

Producer Irving Thalberg also had an interest in the unusual, so they wanted Browning to come up with something that would top Dracula and everything else before it and create the most horrifying film yet [4]. Harry Earles had pitched the short story Spurs, which is what the movie is based on, because it was hard for little people to get much work [4]. Originally it was meant for Lon Chaney, but he died in 1930 [4].

The critical reception was mostly bad and the box office numbers were mixed, there were a lot of theaters that would refuse to even show the picture [3]. Add to that complaints from various organizations and it was pulled by MGM and pretty much locked away for thirty years [4]. Despite being released before the Hayes code and stricter ratings, its graphic “depictions of physical abnormalities, sex, violence and perceived exploitation” led to it being pulled from theaters and being banned [5]. Its revival came during the 1960’s with the avant-garde art scene and exploitation drive in shows [3].

 

The acting may appear weak, but the story and direction are very strong. Browning had spent most of his career making horror films and provides us with a dreadfully thrilling movie that doesn’t involve one of the standard Universal monsters. Many of the current issues are the quality of the surviving prints. The picture quality is substandard and the audio is poor and scratchy, making it difficult to understand Earles high pitched voice at times.

The film has its importance even if there may be some flaws. Never before had there been so many world class sideshow performers assembled into one act as there was for this movie, not in Ringling Brothers or any other circus. It was also very unusual for a group of little people to be cast as actual main characters with a lot of dialogue. If you are a cult film fan then this is essential viewing.

 

 

 

Works Cited

[1]	"IMDB," IMDB, 26 1 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022913/taglines?ref_=tt_stry_tg. [Accessed 26 1 2016].
[2]	I. R. Hark, American Cinema of the 1930s, New Brunswick: Rutgers, 2007.
[3]	J. Hawkins, Cutting Edge, Minneapolis: Regents, 2000.
[4]	Freaks Anniversary Documentary. [Film]. TCM.
[5]	S. Mccarthy, Cult Movies in 60 Seconds, London: Fusion Press, 2003.