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Review

This cult classic tells the story of a trapeze artist who seduces one of the midgets in the sideshow (who happens to be a millionaire) as a means of swindling him out of his money. When she accidentally lets slip her true intentions in front of the entire sideshow group, she sets them on a course for revenge that provides some of the most truly chilling horror scenes in the history of cinema.

Although it is sometimes gruesome, Freaks is a lesson in tolerance, holding the proverbial mirror up to the face of “normal” and beautiful members of society while turning a sympathetic eye to the outcasts. When it was released in 1932, the film was rejected by audiences who found the lesson of the film, as well as the use of real circus “freaks,” too revolting to stomach. The film was a dismal financial failure for MGM, and consequently spelled the beginning of the end for director Tod Browning.

Now, more than three quarters of a century later, the film is regarded as one of the most influential films from the early days of the genre and is revered as a masterpiece of horror due to its continued ability after all these years to churn our stomachs with an expertly told yarn.