This article explores the 1932 horror film Freaks, its controversial depiction of individuals with physical differences, and its enduring impact on cinema.
Horror movies might be more popular than ever now, but a century ago they were looked down upon. There might have been monster hits like King Kong in 1932, but another 1932 film, Freaks , didn't have that kind of popularity when it came out. Tod Browning had been a director for a few decades and was just a year removed from making Dracula with Bela Lugosi, but then came his most controversial offering.
Freaks is a tragic and terrifying story, but it can be hard to watch now because of how it characterizes its physically different cast. One of the labeled'freaks' was played by a sideshow performer named Schiltzie, who was known as Samuel Whiskers and Pin Head in the film. When he died, he was so forgotten that he didn't even get a tombstone. However, decades later, the internet came together to make sure that his memory would be honored forever. 'Freaks' Is One of Horror's Most Infamous Movies Close 1932's Freaks is certainly a one-of-a-kind horror film like you've never seen before. Its plot centers on a traveling circus, with an able-bodied trapeze artist, Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) looking to scam another member of the show, a man with dwarfism named Hans (Harry Earles), out of his money. The circus performers who are there to have their physical differences exploited are indeed treated like freaks, but they're not here to just cower and take the abuse. These so-called freaks set out for revenge against their tormenters, leaving the viewer to wonder just who the true freaks really are. Freaks is a celebrated classic, but it's not one without controversy due to how it portrays and exploits its cast. It's not only made up of Harry Earles with his dwarfism, but his similarly-abled sister, Daisy Earles, along with others like Johnny Eck, who had sacral agenesis, and conjoined twin sisters Daisy and Violet Hilto
Horror Movies Freaks Tod Browning Circus Social Commentary
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