In a modern retelling of Tod Browning's "Freaks" (1932), "Freakshow" tells the story of a group of criminals who chose to hide out by working security at a traveling circus. At first, they plot with an insider to steal the ticket sales, but the wily Lucy has bigger plans. She convinces the gang to let her seduce and marry the aging circus owner, Lon, in order to secure the entire circus fortune after he "suffers an accident". "People die all the time," Lucy says. The freaks are on to their scheme, however, and when the youngest of them is caught by the ruthless gang, they show no mercy to ensure her silence. When the circus folk find the child's remains, they swear vengeance, and no one is safe from their fury--least of all, the wily Lucy.
Practical Effects
Gleefully grotesque makeup effects that outshine the budget.
Production
Carnival atmosphere so authentic you can smell the stale popcorn.
Director
Drew Bell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This modern 'Freaks' remake inverts Browning's sympathetic portrait into pure exploitation, losing the original's radical empathy for sideshow performers.
Director Drew Bell shot this in 15 days on a reported $200,000 budget — the practical effects team apparently ate most of it.
US
