When we talk about controversial movies, we often think of films that push boundaries—whether it's excessive violence, disturbing themes, or just something so bizarre that it unsettles the audience. But few movies in history have had such an extreme reaction as Freaks (1932). This film wasn’t just controversial; it was outright banned in multiple countries, heavily censored, and even destroyed in some places. People literally ran out of theaters when it was first shown. So, what made Freaks so shocking, and why does it still hold a cult status today? Let’s dive in.
The Man Behind the Madness: Tod Browning
To understand Freaks, you need to know about its director, Tod Browning. Before this film, Browning was already famous for directing Dracula (1931), one of the most iconic horror films ever made. But Browning had a deep fascination with the bizarre—he had even worked in a traveling circus when he was younger. That experience heavily influenced Freaks, a film that took inspiration from the lives of real circus performers.
However, Browning's career never fully recovered after Freaks was released. The backlash was so severe that Hollywood essentially blacklisted him. He went from being one of the top horror directors to someone the industry wanted to forget. That alone tells you how extreme the reaction to this film was.
What Freaks Is Actually About
At its heart, Freaks is a tale of deception, betrayal, and the strength of unity among outcasts. The story follows Cleopatra, a beautiful but heartless trapeze artist who manipulates Hans, a kind little person, after learning he has inherited a fortune. Pretending to love him, she agrees to marry him while secretly plotting to poison him with the help of Hercules, the circus strongman, to steal his wealth.
However, Cleopatra underestimates the close-knit bond among the so-called “freaks.” While society mocks and rejects them, they have built a community based on trust and loyalty. As Hans falls gravely ill, his fellow performers uncover Cleopatra’s sinister scheme. Furious at the betrayal, they decide to take revenge.
The film’s climax is pure horror—on a stormy night, the “freaks” creep toward Cleopatra and Hercules, their expressions unreadable, their presence terrifying. By the end, Cleopatra is no longer the glamorous woman she once was but a grotesque, broken figure, forever paying the price for her cruelty. Freaks delivers a chilling message: never underestimate the strength of those you dismiss as weak.
The Cast Was Real & Not Special Effects
One of the most shocking aspects of Freaks—especially for 1932—was that it didn’t use makeup or special effects to create the appearance of the circus performers. Instead, Browning cast real people with physical disabilities and genetic conditions, including:
Prince Randian – A man with no arms or legs who could roll his own cigarette using just his mouth.
Johnny Eck – Born with a condition that made him appear to have no lower body, Eck was known as the “Half-Boy.”
Daisy and Violet Hilton – Conjoined twins who were already famous sideshow performers.
Schlitzie – Perhaps the most famous of them all, Schlitzie had microcephaly (a condition that causes an unusually small head and developmental issues) and was later rumored to be the inspiration for the character of the Master in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).
At the time, audiences weren’t used to seeing real people with disabilities on screen, let alone as the main cast of a movie. This was one of the biggest reasons why Freaks shocked so many people.
One of Us! One of Us!
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “One of us! One of us!”, it comes from Freaks. This is the moment when the circus performers celebrate Cleopatra’s wedding to Hans, officially welcoming her into their family. They chant the phrase over and over again in a bizarre, almost hypnotic way. Cleopatra, disgusted by them, loses her temper and screams at them, calling them all “filthy.” That moment pretty much seals her fate.
This scene is legendary, not just because it’s eerie, but because it captures the film’s main theme: outsiders vs. insiders. The so-called "freaks" are actually the good guys, while the so-called "normal" people (Cleopatra and her strongman lover, Hercules) are the true monsters.
The Ending That Traumatized Audiences
Freaks is categorized as a horror movie, but for most of its runtime, it doesn’t feel like one. That is, until the final act. When the circus performers take their revenge on Cleopatra, the film transforms into a full-blown nightmare.
During a dark and stormy night, the “freaks” creep through the mud, crawling under wagons with knives and axes in hand. The cinematography in this scene is downright terrifying. They move slowly, their shadows looming as Cleopatra screams in horror. What happens next is so disturbing that even today, it’s shocking.
In the original version of the film (which has since been lost), the performers castrate Hercules and mutilate Cleopatra, turning her into a grotesque human-duck hybrid. That’s right—her arms and legs are removed, her tongue is cut out, and she’s left as a squawking, bird-like creature. The final shot shows her squirming in a box, her body permanently deformed.
The scene was so horrifying that audiences reportedly fainted or ran out of theaters. It was unlike anything people had ever seen before.
The Aftermath
After its initial release, the film was heavily edited, cutting nearly 30 minutes of footage. Some of that footage has been permanently lost. Even with the cuts, Freaks was still banned in the UK for over 30 years. It was also banned in several other countries, including Sweden and Ireland, for being too grotesque.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), the studio that produced it, was so ashamed of the movie’s reception that they tried to bury it. They marketed it as a cheap exploitation film instead of the psychological horror-drama that it was meant to be. It flopped at the box office, and Tod Browning’s career was never the same.
How Freaks Became a Cult Classic
For decades, Freaks was forgotten. But in the 1960s and ‘70s, the film was rediscovered by horror fans and underground cinema lovers. The themes of outsiders vs. society, revenge, and body horror resonated with new generations. Eventually, Freaks found its place as one of the most influential horror films of all time.
Today, it’s seen as a masterpiece. Many filmmakers, including David Lynch, Guillermo del Toro, and Rob Zombie, have cited Freaks as an inspiration. Despite its rough history, the film now has the recognition it deserves.
Final Thoughts: Why It Still Shocks Today
Even in 2024, Freaks remains a deeply unsettling movie. It’s not just the imagery—it’s the fact that it forces us to confront our own biases about physical appearance and what it means to be “normal.” The film flips the horror genre on its head, making the outcasts the heroes and the beautiful people the villains. That was revolutionary in 1932, and it’s still powerful today.
So, if you ever decide to watch Freaks, just know—you might not run out of the theater like audiences did in 1932, but you’ll definitely never forget it.
One of us! One of us!
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