Review of Freaks (1932) by Nelson M — 26 Jun 2012
The real horror of Freaks comes not from the circus performances, but by forcing us to confront our prejudices and the horror of knowing the cruelties we are capable of inflicting upon one another just because someone is different.
However, Freaks never preaches to us nor does it stop being entertaining. Mixed with the cruelties are laughs, love, joy, and performances that touch us rather than horrifying us. The horrors come not from the Freaks themselves, but from regular people and it's a quality that we need to come face to face with.
Freaks, despite being dubbed an exploitation film, is a powerfully made film by Tod Browning and an underrated classic.
This review of Freaks (1932) was written by Nelson M on 26 Jun 2012.
Freaks has generally received very positive reviews.
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