Freaks (1932)

 Tod Browning's "Freaks"

At the age of 16, Tod Browning ran away from his well-to-do family to join a traveling circus. All throughout his life, Browning was interested in the more unusual aspects of humanity. He was fascinated with the grotesque, the weird, and the 'horrific.' He spent 13 years in the circus performing many functions, including a roustabout, a song-and-dance performer, and a contortionist. When he was 29, he transitioned into acting and eventually directing. As a director, he carried this fascination for the unusual with him, often taking on projects that were deemed 'unusual' or 'abnormal.' His greatest silent film, 1927's "The Unknown" reflected this fully. It portrayed a thief in a traveling circus pretending to be armless to hide from police, only to cut off his arms to pursue the woman he loved. It was a film that personified Browning's interests and personality. However, five years later, he would release a film that personified them even more. 1932's "Freaks" was not only a culmination of Browning's work, but it perfectly reflected the artist's interests, ideas, philosophies, and life. 

The film is set against the backdrop of a traveling circus, full of so-called 'freaks.' There is a human skeleton, a bearded lady, limbless performers, conjoined twins, microcephalic women (often referred to as 'pinheads'), an intersex, and little people. A beautiful trapeze artist named Cleopatra, with the help of Strongman Hercules, seduces a little person named Hans after learning of his inheritance. Han's fiancee, Frieda, knows she is taking advantage of him and enlists the rest of the carnival characters to enact justice. 

The film was wildly unsuccessful at the time of the film's release. Many filmgoers were horrified by the disabilities they were seeing on-screen. It was reported that many audience members left halfway through the film. One woman even sued MGM, blaming the film for her miscarriage. Because of the unflinching view of its deformed characters, the film was pulled in many markets, including Atlanta. It was even banned completely in the United Kingdom for more than 30 years. The extreme reaction of filmgoers, however, does not reflect anything sensational on the film's part. Rather, the film does not treat its 'freaks' as freaks, and perhaps that is what was so upsetting to many. The film is sympathetic to its characters, often showing them in average, everyday domestic lifestyles. The 'freaks' are only freaks from the perspective of those who view them as such, including the immoral and manipulative Cleopatra and Hercules. For this reason, it appears that these two characters are perhaps the true freaks of the film. They not only view the characters around them as 'less-than,' but take advantage of them and even attempt murder to get what they want. 

Because of the film's poor reaction, it was a financial loss for MGM. The film was cast aside and forgotten about for decades. However, in the 1960s, the film gained a cult following in Europe. In retrospective reviews, the film was praised for its craftsmanship, its story, and its perspective. it began to play at midnight screenings and became a cult favorite. 

Upon many of its retrospective reviews, many note how the film fits into early 1930s America. If you fit the film into the context of the Great Depression (which was occurring when the film was released in 1932), it essentially becomes an allegory of class conflict. The 'freaks' represent the 'little people' - those who were left economically destitute by the banks and upper class. Those banks and the upper class were represented by Cleopatra and Hercules. These two personify the rich and beautiful who scorn those 'less than' and have disdain for their lower standing. When the 'freaks' enact their revenge on those looking to take advantage of them, they essentially break free from the chains of their oppression. In the film's climax, the 'freaks' mutilate their oppressors, making them just as disabled as they are. 

Despite never seeing "Freaks" have any sort of success, Tod Browning made a film that encapsulated his entire life's work. It is a film that dissects human abnormality, pushes the boundaries of the traditional Hollywood images of beauty and glamor, and places those on the outside of modern life front and center. On top of this, it has ingrained itself in popular culture. The 'One of Us' chant the carnies chant in the film has become a parodied staple that signifies a welcoming to an underclass. The film's ending, which shows the carnies enacting their revenge on their abusers by mutilating them has become one of the most haunting scenes in film history. The film is a melange of themes, ideas, and abnormalities that serves as a litmus test for audiences to determine their own monstrous nature that exists inside them.