Freaks (1932)
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A conniving trapeze artist's plot to murder a dwarf for his inheritance leads to tragic consequences for everyone involved.
The story
Set against the backdrop of a traveling French circus, the film follows a conniving trapeze artist named Cleopatra who joins a group of carnival sideshow performers. After learning of a dwarf named Hans's large inheritance, she conspires with a circus strongman to seduce and murder him. While the plot unfolds, other romances and relationships flourish among the diverse group of performers. However, Cleopatra's scheme begins to spiral out of control, leading to a series of dangerous consequences for the troupe members. The film explores the lives and interactions of these performers, who are portrayed as a close-knit community facing the threat of an outsider's greed.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Cleopatra, a beautiful trapeze artist, seduces a dwarf named Hans to steal his inheritance, a plot known to his fiancée, Frieda. She conspires with a strongman, Hercules, to eliminate him. Amidst this, other performers find love: the Bearded Lady is in love with the Human Skeleton, and the conjoined twins, Daisy and Violet, are involved in their own lives. Hans eventually marries Cleopatra, but during their wedding, she is exposed for her affair with Hercules. After a period of illness, Hans realizes he has been played. In a climactic storm, the 'freaks' capture Cleopatra after she tries to flee. She is eventually forced to perform as a 'human duck' with her limbs and eye removed. In some versions, the film ends with a reconciliation between the dwarf lovers, while others end with the tragic fate of the trapeze artist.
- First release year
- 1932
- Runtime (minutes)
- 64
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; German; French
- Directors
- Tod Browning
- Writers
- Willis Goldbeck · screenplay; Leon Gordon · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Wallace Ford · not specified; Leila Hyams · not specified; Olga Baclanova · Cleopatra; Roscoe Ates · not specified
- Genres
- drama; horror
- Themes
- class conflict; anti-eugenics; humanity of the 'other'
- Tone and mood
- grotesque; macabre; compassionate
- Premise and plot tags
- circus; sideshow; horror; drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Spurs by Tod Robbins
- Reception
- Initially controversial and a box-office failure, it became a cult classic and was critically re-evaluated as a compassionate masterpiece in the 1960s.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 95% · scale: percentage · review count: 59
- Awards and nominations
- National Film Registry Selection · Preservation · 1994 · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was banned in the United Kingdom for over 30 years.; The film inspired the song 'Pinhead' by the Ramones.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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