Film
Freaks
- Director
- Tod Browning
- Certificate
- 12A
- Running Time
- 62 mins
One of us, one of us, one of us . . . Er, sorry about that. But for a film made in 1932 to still be banned in Sweden and many American States is quite some achievement. In the UK, Tod Browning’s classic Freaks was refused a certificate for 30 years. So what’s so controversial about it? When the original Dracula was released in 1930, it became an instant hit, sparking cinema’s first horror boom. Director Browning followed this huge success with Freaks, casting his macabre masterpiece with such real-life freakshow performers as “living torso” Prince Randian, Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, half-bodied Johnny Eck, and “pinheads” Elvira and Jenny Lee Snow.
This ‘casual screening’ is courtesy of Circus City to complement Australian paralympian Sarah Houbolt’s show KooKoo the Birdgirl, which was inspired by one of the film’s characters. Tickets are free but spaces are limited, so you need to go here to reserve one in advance.
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