Freaks(John)

Freaks was definitely freaky. I can only imagine what audiences in the 30s thought of this film. I think terrified would be the correct term. I've seen quite a few horror films and I felt very uneasy watching parts of the movie. The scene at the end where Cleopatra was being chased by the freaks was probably the most intense scene of Freaks.

The story was pretty good. The movie opens with a little teaser and then we go into a flashback to get the main story. Hans was a likable character and Cleopatra and Hercules definitely pulled off the antagonist roles. The supporting characters were pretty good as well. The man with no arms and legs impressed me with his ability to light a cigarette using only his mouth. And Phoso the Clown demonstrated his kindness by not discriminating against the freaks.

The music created the perfect atmosphere for this film. One moment it was lively circus music, the next you feel the impending danger that lurks just around the corner.

The sound quality was not the best. I know it's a 80 year old movie, but it was really hard to understand what some of the people were saying. I supposed I could have turned subtitles on. I was also not "hip" to some of the lingo that was being used. People in the 30s spoke an entirely different language than we do today. It was quite interesting.

Overall, this was a pretty good movie. The creepy vibe is definitely there, the story is not the worst and the actors pull of their roles for the most part.

I give it a 6.5 out of 10.

- John Murphy