hellholehorror There are obvious problems with this movie. The sound is so bad at times that I had to put subtitles on to understand the dialogue. Some shots are horrifically exposed; the movement is poor, dirt on the print horrific and jump cuts regular. But this is over eighty years old. Quite good for the age. I don't think that they tried to shock and sicken with this film. They wanted to create a drama behind the scenes of a circus. It turns out to be a perfectly paced and brilliantly developed. There are few films that I can think of that take this kind of theme seriously. This is a fantastic and enjoyable horror drama. It is what you think that they will do that is scarier than what you see. It has a satisfying ending and good pace where you feel the relationships. I didn't notice the disabilities. Enjoyable but not something that you would watch often due to tone and technical.

john_vance-20806 I really don't know what to think of this film. Nothing like this could be done today except maybe to be viewed on the dark net.I think you could be either enthralled or revolted by Freaks. It's such a stand alone production that first-time viewers are usually going to be caught off-guard. In any case, it's hard not to have a visceral reaction one way or the other.Without going into plot details, a portion of the cast is made up of people with severe disabilities or physical defects. Some clearly have very limited mental capacities but others seem to know exactly what they're doing. I suspect that much of this line-up would have been what you'd see in a 19th century traveling carnival side-show.I'm not easily offended or shocked but I'm a little uncomfortable with what's going on here. Politically correct doesn't really apply, it's beyond that. As to whether it represents inspired, courageous, avant-garde filmmaking or is an example of vomitous bad taste and ignorance is, I suppose, up to the viewer. But if anyone responds with just a 'meh' I suspect their own tastes and social skills are a bit outside the normal.I suppose Freaks speaks to our human ambivalence in dealing with things that are bizarre, abnormal or revolting. Most of us can't resist at least taking a glance at a book filled with pictures of those with congenital anomalies. Many feel the same way about photos of victims savaged and mutilated by violence or injury. You're glad it's not you, but then turn to the next page to see the next repellent example.I can't recommend this film but I wouldn't say no one should watch it. Just be a little prepared for something that might be either fascinating or stomach-churning. The response will be a reflection of yourself.

Leofwine_draca Welcome to FREAKS. Welcome to Tod Browning's world. It is a world populated by pinheads, dwarfs, skeletal men, hermaphrodites, limbless men, and adults trapped in children's bodies. There are no special effects here. No sleight of hand. No camera tricks. No makeup. The actors and actresses portraying the sideshow attractions in this film are all real, amassed from all over the world by an obsessed director who wanted everything to be just perfect for his film. It turned out that he was mistaken: audiences weren't ready for a film this powerful at the time of realise, and it got heavily cut in America and banned in Britain for thirty years.To put it plainly, this is quite simply one of the best horror films ever made. It's essential viewing. A film which humanises the people who were subjected to such cruel deformations, and demonises the cruel, greedy "normal" folk who are about as far away from humanity as can be. I loved watching this film. Watching the pinheads dance and play, the torso man light a cigarette using only his mouth, the mirth and glee which these folks manage to express despite their unfortunate conditions. They live, damn it, and they're a role model for the rest of us folks.The plot is a simple one of revenge, which carries the whole film. We know what's coming and yet it still hooks us anyways. The acting is good; although the "normal" actors are surpassed in every way by their real-life misshapen scene-stealers. The midgets and malformities come across so flawlessly because they are not acting, merely playing themselves. The pinheads are probably the most endearing of the lot, with their enduring friendliness, I fell in love with them. The subplot involving romance between a good-natured clown and his girlfriend is touching and tender.Everybody remembers the ending of this film, which has the freaks taking revenge on the cruel strongman and his mistress. The act of revenge is only implied, but the build-up is spectacular. The sight of hate-filled victims advancing to enact their revenge is truly unforgettable and a classic moment in horror cinema, one which has been imitated many times but never equalled. The famed "wedding banquet" scene is also very good, and imitated almost exactly in THE MUTATIONS. You won't even notice the fact that nothing much really happens, as you'll be so engrossed in a world so different from ours that you'll lose all touch with reality - at least, that's what happened with me. I've said enough. Go and watch this film.

indoor_kid Tod Browning's choice to use real sideshow attractions affords viewers a unique film experience. Despite most of the actors being untrained, the film didn't seem much more campy than others from this time period. The final scene, with the "freaks" crawling through the mud in the rain, is haunting and it took me a long time to get the visual out of my head. While on the surface this looks like an exploitation of the people deemed "freaks", Browning uses this film to begin a social and political conversation on the treatment of people with disabilities. Unfortunately, a portion of the film had to be cut in order to appease the public. As a result of these cuts, the film seems to be abrupt and jumps around quite a bit.