Freaks Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Freaks Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 1, 2023

Tod Browning's "Freaks" (1932) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by author David Skal; the archival documentary "Tod Browning's Freaks: The Sideshow Cinema"; a gallery of portraits with the performers that appeared in the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Had Tod Browning not directed Freaks the contemporary horror film would have looked very, very different. In the years after it, numerous advancements in technology still would have been effectively used to produce a wide range of scary visuals, but the merger of the scary and the authentic that materializes in Freaks and has been copied ever since would have been managed differently. I do not know how exactly. Perhaps all horror films would have been rooted in the surreal, the mythic, or the exotic and then required to do some very particular things to establish a connection with the authentic. Perhaps the scary would have inspired a grandiose revolution in 3D technology and horror films would have become synonymous with it. It is hard to tell because Freaks was quite the illuminating genre trendsetter. It may not have been obvious to everyone immediately after it was released, but it is now, and it is even more obvious that after it there was a new blueprint for horror films that would make perfect sense to intelligent producers and directors.

At the center of this blueprint is a simple idea, which is that the scary does not need to be manufactured or embellished, only presented in a way that makes it undeniably authentic. If it is presented this way, the scary can be everywhere around us. The best horror films always produce material that does this -- it moves the scary from a place that the rational mind rejects to a place that the rational mind cannot reject. This happens to be the fundamental difference between Freaks and its legendary relatives, Universal’s monster films, which the former was conceived to compete with.

Freaks is based on an original story by Tod Robbins, but it is not a great film because it accurately recreates it on the big screen. (For what it’s worth, the original story is darker and far more disturbing, which is an important detail to remember whenever you read material that frames Browning as a shameless exploitative director). This story is about a traveling circus with a large sideshow whose deformed performers become participants in a grotesque romantic drama that turns violent. It is an unusually bizarre story. However, Browning masterfully films it and moves it to that crucial place where the rational mind cannot reject it as just another piece of cinematic fiction.

The cast features several non-professional actors with birth defects and missing body parts that are treated as professional actors. This treatment is the catalyst of the scary, and ultimately what has legitimized Freaks as a horror film. However, it is also what makes Freaks controversial in the eyes of some viewers as they see it as a disingenuous, deeply unsettling exploitation film.

Given the subject matter, the overall quality of the production is quite impressive. For example, there is plenty of carefully choreographed footage, but it never looks like the actors are aware of the presence of Browning’s camera. The majority of them do their parts with unbridled, often intimidating enthusiasm. As a result, the most grotesque footage, which usually has a mass gathering of some sort, looks genuinely unhinged.

Some great genre films that have clearly copied what Browning does in Freaks are: Carnival of Souls (spooky creatures from a surreal place are legitimized in a familiar new place); Fellini Satyricon and Fellini's Casanova (both films offer grandiose variations of Browning’s vision of horror but while emphasizing dark humor and the grotesque); Forbidden Zone (quite possibly the most unhinged and perhaps incomprehensible variation of the same vision of horror); and The Last Circus (quite possibly the most extreme variation of the same vision of horror).

Freaks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Freaks arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital master was created from a 35mm nitrate dupe negative and a 35mm safety print, both of which were scanned in 5K resolution on a Lasergrapghics Director film scanner at PRO-TEK Vaults in Burbank, California. Color was done by Michel Hassidim at Resillion in New York. The original monaural soundtrack was restored by the Criterion Collection from an archival two-inch magnetic soundtrack.
Disc mastering: NexSpec."

The release is sourced from a very beautiful and convincing new 2K master. Since I have Warner's original DVD release from 2004, I decided to do plenty of comparisons, but after quickly sampling a few areas of the new 2K makeover, I changed my mind. The new presentation of Freaks is superior in every way possible, so the overall quality of the visuals is quite the dramatic improvement. For example, on the DVD release the group footage routinely struggles to reveal proper detail. Yes, there are inherited source limitations that make this difficult -- in the final third of the film these limitations are quite obvious on the 2K makeover as well -- but the density levels are now a lot better and there is simply more information available. Naturally, clarity and depth benefit as well. Also, the grayscale is improved, which is something that further strengthens clarity and depth. On the DVD release, the dark and rainy footage at the end looks soft and blurry, but on the 2K makeover there are proper shadow nuances, decent or good depth, etc. I noticed that a couple quick skips, which means that a few frames are lost. A few frames are missing on the DVD release as well. Image stability is improved, too. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. However, you will encounter grain fluctuations, with the bigger ones appearing toward the end. The entire film looks very healthy. All in all, given the age of the film and how it was preserved over the years, I think that this new presentation on Blu-ray is quite the revelation. I found it very impressive. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Freaks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio reveals even more inherited limitations than the visuals. For example, there is quite a bit of unevenness. In some areas, the audio becomes very thin, too. But this is the type of audio quality that was possible with existing recording equipment in the early 1930s. Also, during some exchanges, you will even notice some extremely light background hiss and crackle. I did not encounter any distortions or dropouts to report.

Freaks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Tod Browning's "Freaks": The Sideshow Cinema - this outstanding documentary was made some years ago when Freaks was released on DVD. It focuses on MGM's production of Freaks, its reception, and lasting appeal among film aficionados and historians. Also, there is some very interesting information about the careers of the various actors that made the film. Included in it are clips from interviews with author David Skal, sideshow performer/historian Todd Robbins, and actor Mark Povinelli, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (64 min).

• Tod Robbins' "Spurs" - author David Skal reads the original short story by Tod Robbins that inspired Freaks. In English, not subtitled. (48 min).

• "One of Us": Portraits From "Freaks" - presented here are several portraits of the performers that appeared in Freaks. With music. (11 min).

• Prologue to Freaks From 1947 - fully restored. Presented in English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Alternate Endings - this short segment features comments from author David Skal. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Ticklish Business Podcast (2019) - this archival podcast features critic Kristen Lopez, blogger Samantha Ellis, and producer Drea Clark discussing disabled representation in Freaks. In English, not subtitled. (52 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author David Skal. It is an outstanding commentary with plenty of terrific information about the exact era and studio plans/politics when Freaks was greelighted, the casting choices that were made, Tod Browning's work on the film, the original version of the -- which is lost -- and some key missing parts of it, the film's reception and reputation, etc.

• Booklet - 38-page illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme as well as technical credits.

Freaks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It seems irrelevant whether over the years directors in America and abroad have acknowledged the influence Freaks has had on their creativity and work. The strangeness of Freaks is such that it is impossible to see it as anything else but a tremendously influential film. Whether it is a good or bad film is up to the viewer to decide. I think that it is a very original film that was so far ahead of its time, it is shocking that a major studio was willing to make it. Freaks has been newly restored in 2K and looks great on Blu-ray. It is included in Criterion's Tod Browning's Sideshow Shockers, a two-disc set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.