Review of Freaks (1932) by Sarah R — 19 Jan 2010

Holy shit. Avante-garde if I've ever seen it. How many buttons did Tod Browning have to push to get this thing made in nineteen thirty two? I can see where the whole cult following thing comes into play, too.

It's a perfect example of a midnight shock flick. It's just . . . I think it's the first one ever made. This is obviously a movie that beckons to be researched upon. The story behind the story makes Freaks shine on a completely different level that most films don't ever get a chance to.

The controversy surrounding it is intreaguing. There is an unmistakable sense of creepiness about the whole thing. Think about it. When it first premiered 78 years ago it was uncut for one run. Only one.

After that it went back to the cutting room and I guess the studio butchered it. I still liked it, but that's beside the point. The mystery is this: What exactly did that audience witness? An audience comprised of people who are probably all dead now.

We'll never know. I found it to be exceedingly creepy. Especially after I read up on Prince Randian, the human torso. His wiki entry reads: "People who worked with Randian recalled that he was fond of perpetrating a certain practical joke.

He would conceal himself in a box or some other receptacle too small to hold an able bodied person. He would wait patiently until some victim came along, then wait a few more minutes until that person was confident that he or she was completely alone.

Then, Randian would suddenly scream." Gobble, gobble.