Sub-Genre: Exploitation, Drama
U.S. Release Date: 2007 (Straight to DVD)
Running Length:
MPAA Classification: Unrated (violence and gore, language and some nudity/sexual situations)
Cast: Rebekah Kochan, Dane Rosselli, Christopher Adamson, McKenna Geu, Mighty Mike Murga, Diego Barquinero
Director: Drew Bell
Screenplay: Keith Leopard
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 On the DVD cover, this movie promotes itself as being “In The Tradition Of Tod Browning’s Freaks”. But let’s be real. This movie is essentially a remake of the 1932 cult classic. In Tod Browning’s Freaks, a beautiful woman seduces a side-show dwarf in the hopes of stealing his inheritance. In Freakshow, a beautiful thief seduces a side-show owner in the hopes of stealing his money. Freakshow also utilizes a similar initiation scene (“One of us! One of us!”). And like the siren in Freaks, the would-be thief in Freakshow comes to a disturbing and tragic end. So at the very least, this film should be considered a
modern day “re-telling”.
Nonetheless, Freakshow has some redeeming qualities. Some of the cast members utilized in the film
are actual “freaks”, including an armless knife-thrower and a real-life “wolf-boy” (born with a condition known as “hypertrichosis”).
On the downside, parts of this movie moved very slowly. There were more than just a few dull scenes, and a lot of the film revolved around the dysfunctional courtship between the seductive thief and the clueless side-show owner. There was little to no substance to this film, and outside the borrowed plot of Freaks, the film was full of “filler” scenes that did nothing more than pass the time in order to get to the climatic end.
Despite the fact that Freaks is now 75 years old, it stands the test of time and remains a powerfully disturbing film. Freakshow lacks the intensity of Freaks, however director Drew Bell makes up for it with some gratuitous nudity and gore. Indeed, the climatic “transformation” scene involves a very impressive special makeup effects display by artist Tom Devlin.
Between the two, Tod Browning’s Freaks is a much better film. But if you like films involving side-show oddities, Freakshow is worth the price of a rental. If you find the story to be moving too slowly for you, and you want to see some good, disturbing violence and gore, just fast forward to the last 15 minutes. The end of the film is certainly the best part.
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