X
- 1932
- Not Rated
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 1 h 4 m
- 1932
- Not Rated
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 1 h 4 m
Summary A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.
Directed By: Tod Browning
- 1932
- Not Rated
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 1 h 4 m
- 1932
- Not Rated
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 1 h 4 m
Freaks
80
7.6
Where to Watch
Summary A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.
Directed By: Tod Browning
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
80
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
80
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The most un-MGM movie that the studio ever made gave Dracula director Tod Browning the chance to tell a story that horrified audiences. [13 Aug 2004, p.4E]
A true nightmare.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 31 User Ratings
7.6
81% Positive
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
16% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
3% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 31 User Ratings
7.6
81% Positive
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
16% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
3% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
A good an shockingly earnest look at a group of circus performers, for the era it doesn't feel exploitative at all. Awesome last 10 minutes.
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If the heart of the horror movie is the annihilating Other, the Other has never appeared with more vividness, teasing sympathy, and terror than in this 1932 film by Tod Browning.
Wallace Ford co-stars, but make no mistake, it's the actual sideshow talents whose unusual traits have kept this film singular and unforgettable. [19 Oct 2007, p.C5]
Freaks is not a picture to be easily forgotten.
Freaks is sumptuously produced, admirably directed, and no cost was spared. But Metro failed to realize that even with a different sort of offering the story still is important. Here it is not sufficiently strong to get and hold the interest, partly because interest cannot easily be gained for a too fantastic romance.
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.
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Hmmm...this is a tough one to talk about on a critical level. 1932's "Freaks" is an oddball short film (1 hour long!), but not for its obvious use of circus performers and deformity as a message, but for how it structures itself in telling its short story. A story that, to be honest, does not warrant one to see it again and again. I'm also left confused with what it was trying to say because of its odd approach to story telling. I'm glad to have seen this curious piece of film history, but I don't think it will appeal to many who aren't film buffs.
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Movie is watchable, with a few notable scenes, but the overall impact is torpedoed by some really amateurish acting. Surprising pre code dialogue and suggestive scenes helped retain my attention. And the intense climax in the rain, lightning, and mud was really effective.
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Awards
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Nomination
