Freaks

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Freaks

1932

1h 4m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When trapeze artist Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) learns that circus midget Hans (Harry Earles) has an inheritance, she marries the lovesick, diminutive performer, all the while planning to steal his fortune and run off with her lover, strong man Hercules (Henry Victor). When Hans' friends and fellow performers discover what is going on, they band together and carry out a brutal revenge that leaves Hercules and Cleopatra knowing what it truly means to be a freak.

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Critics Consensus

Time has been kind to this horror legend: Freaks manages to frighten, shock, and even touch viewers in ways that contemporary viewers missed.

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Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

09/28/2015

[Boasts] some of the most terrifying scenes ever consigned to film.

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

06/14/2015

4/5

Browning's sympathies are clear; if there are "freaks" on display here, they are not the versatile performers to whom the title seems to allude.

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Tom Huddleston

Time Out

06/08/2015

5/5

One of the most powerful films ever made about the need for humanity and solidarity in the face of cruelty and oppression.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Nov 7

3/4

...an erratic endeavor that grows more and more compelling (and involving) as it unfolds...

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Michael Nordine

Film Occasionally

10/24/2023

That such a daring, transgressive film was made by a major studio in the early ‘30s remains a marvel (thanks, Irving Thalberg); that it irreparably harmed the career of its director is disheartening if not surprising.

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

10/17/2023

Each one, by nature of the period in which they were released and how audiences responded to them, have a legacy that must be explored, mulled over, and come to terms with if cinema is going to tell honest stories without exploitation.

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Leaburn O

@RT35452347 May 20

Sound quality is very poor but it’s easy to get the gist. Is this exploitation or inclusive? The title probably answers that question. I can’t say I found it enjoyable to watch but I guess it was a bit different. Watched on DVD.

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Fischer W.

@Fishhook Mar 5

Just a plain spectacular old movie it’s very eerie and nothing like anything else I’ve seen

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Feb 28

A very entertaining classic to say the least!

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Feb 13

In my opinion, it's not very scary. Is it a little disturbing? Yes, but not in the slightest terrifying. Crazy the "freaks" were real people. I thought the acting was great from everyone.

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To F

@Frannko Jan 26

Esta interesante, pero se siente culero como tratan a los freaks. Aun así las actuaciones y la historia están muy bien hechas.

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Rich C.

@Cordu0702 Nov 5

Really liked this film.

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Tod Browning

Director

Wallace Ford

Phroso

Olga Baclanova

Cleopatra

Leila Hyams

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Synopsis

When trapeze artist Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) learns that circus midget Hans (Harry Earles) has an inheritance, she marries the lovesick, diminutive performer, all the while planning to steal his fortune and run off with her lover, strong man Hercules (Henry Victor). When Hans' friends and fellow performers discover what is going on, they band together and carry out a brutal revenge that leaves Hercules and Cleopatra knowing what it truly means to be a freak.

Director: Tod Browning
Producer: Tod Browning, Dwain Esper, Hildegarde Stadie, Irving Thalberg
Screenwriter: Al Boasberg, Willis Goldbeck, Leon Gordon, Edgar Allan Woolf
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 20, 1932, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 18, 2010
Runtime: 1h 4m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.37:1)