Freaks movie

[John Randal]

Has anyone seen this?  Its a pretty old movie but I have always heard good things about it.

[schmendrik]

Has anyone seen this?  Its a pretty old movie but I have always heard good things about it.

You're probably talking about the 1932 movie that used actual circus sideshow freaks. I haven't seen it, but Stephen King mentions it in his book Danse Macabre as one of the all-time great horror movies.

[Doc Daneeka]

Actually Freaks is more of an unorthodox crime/romance drama up until the climax. It certainly is strange, unsettling, and indeed entertaining, I definitely suggest it at least once.

[RCMerchant]

FREAKS is defintly a great movie. Much like Tod Browning had a fascination with the dark side of carny life...and here it's shown at it's darkest.  Olga's fate at the end was based on an unused idea of Lon Chaney Sr...who worked with Browning in many films.

[Rev. Powell]

If you have any interest in unusual movies at all, you need to see this.  It's a classic, not soon to be forgotten.  The freaks should give you mixed feelings: looking at them, they're instinctively horrifying, but they're shown having normal human emotions and motivations, both positive and negative.   They're definitely exploited for their appearance, but they're also given dignity. 

A must-see movie and definitely Tod Browning's best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBXyB7niEc0

[HappyGilmore]

If you have any interest in unusual movies at all, you need to see this.  It's a classic, not soon to be forgotten.  The freaks should give you mixed feelings: looking at them, they're instinctively horrifying, but they're shown having normal human emotions and motivations, both positive and negative.   They're definitely exploited for their appearance, but they're also given dignity. 

A must-see movie and definitely Tod Browning's best.

Couldn't agree with you more.  Freaks is an underrated classic that deserves to been seen by modern audiences.  The freaks themselves are exploited, but you really do have sympathy for their characters and, while the ending is unusual and kind of unsettling, you feel a sense of 'Good job, guys.' 

But, some people may say Browning's Dracula is better.  For me it's a toss up between the two.

[Nukie 2]

You should own it-- plain and simple.

[dean]

Watch it!  Yep!  It's great.  A truly original film that just couldn't be made these days without a huge massive fuss.

Definitely my favourite of Browning's work.

[Derf]

Gooble, gobble, watch this flick! It is most definitely a must-see for members of this board.

[KYGOTC]

The only thing that puts me off from seeing this is the fact that about 28 muinetes of it has been lost. That bugs me.

[the master]

all i have to say is goble gooble one of us goble gooble one of us

a classic

[pinkandbluefilms]

agreed, though the "Unknown" and "West of Zanzibar" are not far behind. 'Dracula" has been horribly re-evaluated by contemporary critics not accustomed to 1930 pacing. On repeated viewings, I felt it horribly underrated, vastly superior to the competent  Spanish version (which is  lacking in feverish vision. Melford was an assignment director, not a visionary director. it also is plagued with downright execrable acting, with the exception of  Tovar, who, despite being more attuned to modern sex appeal, is still too obvious in comparison to Chandler's subtly nuanced Mina).

Unfortunately, much of 'Road to Mandalay' is missing but what remains has Browning's unique touch all over it.
'The Blackbird" and "The Unholy Three" deserve to be seen and made available, along with the above.

"Freaks" , like much of Browning, grows in stature and appreciation with time and absorption (it's flaws seem to diminish to the point of obscurity, which is what great art always does).

peace

If you have any interest in unusual movies at all, you need to see this.  It's a classic, not soon to be forgotten.  The freaks should give you mixed feelings: looking at them, they're instinctively horrifying, but they're shown having normal human emotions and motivations, both positive and negative.   They're definitely exploited for their appearance, but they're also given dignity. 

A must-see movie and definitely Tod Browning's best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBXyB7niEc0