Some of them are idiots, it is true --
but they are happy idiots."
Forget about DRACULA, FREAKS was Tod Browning's masterpiece. A simple tale of revenge, it was the setting that elevates this 1932 picture into one of the most terrifying films ever made during the classic era of horror films. Born and raised around a circus in real life, Browning always had a fetish for the odd and downtrodden with an underlying sympathy for the characters that existed on the margins of society. He used Chaney to great effect for that purpose, but FREAKS was his crowning achievement.
Here is told the fascinating personal stories of the "freaks", in MOTION PICTURE April 1932.
I'm a huge fan of classic 30's horror films. But as weird and atmospheric as they can be, the only one that is truly disturbing is "Freaks". It's unfortunate that this masterpiece tanked Browning's career. I read about "Freaks" for years before I was able to finally see it a few decades ago. It's a movie you don't forget.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. Probably the best word to describe it is "disturbing". When I first saw it, I couldn't believe what I was watching. Browning's crowning achievement, IMHO.
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