F is for...

The letter F finds us reviewing one of the most controversial films in history. Upon its release, Freaks caused an uproar of outrage, broke a few box office records, and was even banned in some countries. (It was illegal to show the film for 30 years in England!)

After enjoying a number of successful silent films (many including Lon Chaney), director Tod Browning made one of the most iconic horror films of all time: Dracula. Along with the other Universal Monster films, Dracula helped create the horror genre. Studios began rushing to find more monsters, ghosts, and goblins to put on screen. Browning was offered several high budget pictures as follow ups, however he decided to stick to the horror genre. What he had in mind for his next film would be so grotesque that it ended his career.

Browning had worked in sideshows early on in his career and had wanted to bring that kind of story to the big screen for years. Harry Earles, a dwarf actor who had worked with Browning on a previous film, brought a short story to the director featuring a band of carnival actors and a bizarre love triangle. Browning immediately began developing it with Lon Chaney in mind. The actor died before preproduction could get very far. Browning eventually made the film and cast Earles as one of the leads.

The story is set in a small travelling circus in Europe. Devious trapeze artist Cleopatra has begun to win the affections of a pint sized performer named Hans. Hans begins spending more time and money on Cleopatra, much to the chagrin of his fiance Frieda. Eventually, Hans and Cleopatra marry. Do they live happily ever after? Of course not. What Hans does not realize is that Cleopatra has concocted the marriage as part of a scheme to kill him and inherit his money. Cleo and her lover Hercules plan to poison Hans and run away with his fortune. The other carnival actors discover the plan and take their revenge.

The plot of Freaks is a fairly typical one for thrillers of the time. The controversy stems from Browning's exploitation of actual circus freaks that appear in the picture. The director gathered many of the most famous human oddities of the time and paraded them around the screen in an effort to shock audiences. Film goers were sickened by the images, and one even attempted to sue after she miscarried during the film. (Whether it was legitimate or publicity stunt is up in the air.)

Nearly 100 years after the film's initial release, I believe Freaks takes on a different tone. As I watched the movie, I was struck not by the appearance of the freaks, but by their humanity. Apart from the villainous Cleopatra, the "normal" members of the circus treated the performers the same as each other. They joked around with the human skeleton, they complimented the pinheads, and they invented acts with the half boy. In 1932, the freaks appearance were meant to shock the viewers. Modern sensibilities, however, have us overlook those deformities and focus on the story. The performers are shown in their natural environment, going about their daily lives. They are shown coping with their handicaps, however it now feels more like championing than exploitation.  I believe the film shows the freaks' as the humans they truly are. If anyone here is treated with disdain, it is the "normal" characters of Cleo and Hercules.

Posted in: freaks,Horror,Horror A To Z,todd browning