Customer Reviews

Freakshow

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Reading the reviews here, I really didn't expect much from Freakshow. But I was surprised by how well it held me, and the number of entertaining little touches in what is obviously a very, very low budget effort.

There's not much in the way of "real" freaks here, although there are genuine human oddities scattered among the cast members. And this has to be the only movie I've ever seen about a traveling carnival that never showed a single crowd scene or, indeed, even a single customer coming to visit (looking at the rickety old ferris wheel they had, I doubt it was approved for people to ride on).

But that being said, the photography and art direction were surprisingly good, the period soundtrack was suitably haunting, and the performances were entertaining (if not always professional). A standout was Christopher Adamson in the role of the ringmaster, dripping with squint-eyed malice as well as dripping from numerous boils and ulcers.

The sex and violence aren't really too graphic until the final "transformation" scene, which is so over the top that it seems grafted on from another movie. I think the movie would actually be stronger if it simply implied what was about to happen to the "victim"...and then showed us the results.

I bumped this up to 4 stars to help counterbalance some of the other reviews, and also because I think that within the constraints of a very low budget, the filmmakers did a nice job. Also, the DVD has some nice bonus features.

So don't expect a lot...but don't necessarily write Freakshow off, either. I'm glad I didn't!

Follows the Todd Browning plot line...but not the care and tastefullness he had used. The circus people aren't really in this very much, just briefly here and there. Contains alot of unneeded gore.

Watch something else

I am a fan of the original Freaks. This movie is grade Z garbage. It is a total snooze fest until the gross-out ending which is not even as bad as the description would lead you to believe. The whole thing feels like a really bad porn movie with totally cardboard performances. The ending which could be really horrorific is ruined because the victim is barely reacting to the nasty torturous revenge that is bestowed upon her. One of the worst movies I have ever seen and I've seen a lot!

FREAKSHOW
(theasylum.cc)
Directed by Drew Bell, Starring Rebekah Kochan ,Mighty Mike and Christopher Adamson.
Okay, Great music for soundtrack,Music box or player piano or something else magnificient.
The film just looks great and draws you in.The sets, Make-up and acting are a step above Theasylum usual fodder.
This film takes place in a carnival/side show with the special people who inhabit that world, For whatever reason.
The bad guys become victims and societies victim's become the ones in control.
Drew Bell directs well, From commentary with producer I felt he LOVES controversy.
Rebekah Kochan ( Pirates Of Treasure Island) does the best performance yet,We interviewed her earlier too.
Mighty Mike Murga ( Evil Ever After) is probably the most charismatic of Special Performers.
Christopher Adamson ( POTC: Curse Of The Black Pearl) has a fantastic screen prescence, He is the Horror Icon we remember from our youth.
Many of the fans may not know Director Fred Olen Ray is a huge fan of sideshows, This is one effort even he will appreciate.
Most of the performers ARE REAL,But when make-up was needed(Especially) the finale, Tom Devlin and crew were enthralling.
Welcome back,Theasylum !

This movie has about the same story as Freaks just with a bunch of pointless sex and gore. Now when they actually got around to torturing the one girl at the end and doing everything to her I didn't mind it but that was about the only thing in the movie I liked.

I'd rather watch Freaks anyday over this piece of garbage movie.

I don't really have anything new to add except that the cover suggestively states "In the tradition of Tod Browning's FREAKS" - This movie is a far cry from being in the tradition of anything even remotely considered decent horror. It's a rip off of FREAKS - and a crappy one at that. Not only does this movie rip off the original, but the plot eventually weaves its way into something oddly similar to an episode from the first season of CARNIVALE. Finally, there is an echo of FIRECRACKER in this whole debacle (which wasn't the greatest of movies but it was much better than FREAKSHOW). I couldn't even begin to place the decade this was supposed to have taken place. The back of the DVD reads "'The most horrifying film' of this century!" - quite funny considering only half of that sentence is in quotes. So, when mixed with the horrible performances, the horrid rip offs, the badly timed, oft thrown in sex scenes and the joltiness of what some would call a plot, this movie is not worth any one's time - not the horror/freakshow aficionado, not even the cheesey horror fans.

Basically a rehash of the original (and classic) film FREAKS Freaks only with quite a bit more gore, poor acting and less style. If you are in the mood for this kind of a film and don't like gratuitous gore check out the original and leave this one alone.

A group of criminals try to rob the circus by having a beautiful woman seduce the circus owner.
They did not count on the code of the freaks, "You Hurt One of Us; There's going to Be Trouble."

The best part of this movie is that it features "real" sideshow folks, including Larry Gomez "the Mexican Wolf Boy"; VeeKay, Sideshow Performer and Barker; Jimmy GoldMan, Armless Wonder; Bill Quinn, Legless Wonder, and several other oddities.

The acting is good. Especially, Veekay as The Wolf Man, Christopher Adamson as Lon, Rebekah Kochan as Lucy, Mighty Mike as Curtis, and McKenna Geu as Little Kimmie.

The musical score is fun and interesting.
The set and night scenes are fantastic.
But, the best part of this DVD can be found in the "Special Features."

It's a good movie to own.

I had been waiting for 2 years to watch this when I finally got the chance. Everyone of my friends who watched it said it was disgusting and vulgar. Well, until the last five minutes, it completely sucked. The acting was horrible, the costume designer didn't do well at all, the writer's didn't do well, and the main plot was SEX. This movie was a waste if time and if you want to see the original, it is called Tod Browning's Freaks. It is 10 times better than this modernized piece of crap version

this movie was weird. the only thing i liked about it was the specail effects and the costumes but it was kinda stupid. so thats why i gave it 2 stars