Freaks (1932) - What Makes a Horror?

The 1932 film Freaks has been revered as a classic, said to make some people physically ill at its release. As a result, the version we know today is half an hour shorter, as part of the original film reel has been lost to time.

The plot follows Venus (Leila Hyams), a trapeze artist, who is conspiring to marry Hans (Harry Earles), a performer with dwarfism, in order to steal his fortune. When the other workers find out about this, they see her punished.

Like all 'horror classics,' it's a slow burn, and it works for that. The majority of the run time is spent getting to know the circus performers and their relationships. The audience are let in on their world. They become 'one of them,' you might say. This is the focus of the film, and explores the mixed feelings of the 'freaks' having a home in the circus, whilst still being treated as less than human. This is one of the elements that The Greatest Showman was lacking - the depth of emotions and difficulties that truly arose from 'Freak Shows.'

Most of the runtime is simply watching these performers live their lives and interact with each other behind the scenes. It gives time to the small moments - a man with no limbs rolling and lighting a cigarette - with dignity. For the 30s audience, no doubt all this was shocking, to a modern one, a time capsule of past lives. For what made this movie so groundbreaking was its use of real performers at the time.

(Author's Note: whilst reading around write this, I was shocked that articles as recent as 2015 found these elements the scariest. Really?!)

That being said, Phroso (Wallace Ford) steals the show, with his kindness and genuinity. For once, the clown in the horror is not evil, but one of the most endearing characters, and we hope to see him live to the end.

In terms of scares, there's only really that one chase scene and most of that is lost to time. This is the scene that audiences of the time found so harrowing and terrifying. Through a modern lens, are we not cheering the performers on? Are we not on their side, as they defend their comrade from, horror of all horrors, an entitled white woman. It doesn't hold the same terror it used to, since it feels decidedly strange to be scared of people just because they are different.

This is an idea the horror genre has been battling against since its inception: ableism.

If the 'scares' of Freaks are the 'freaks,' can it really be counted as a horror movie any longer? The general consensus is it does not - or, should not - still fit in the genre. These are not monsters, they are simply people. When treated respectfully by the writing and camera, it makes all the difference.

Other horror movie villains with ableist aspects, such as Jason Vorhees, are at least also a danger because of the machete, axe or chainsaw they're wielding, whilst the cast of 'Freaks' don't harbour the same blind ill-intent. It's directed at a woman who hurt their family, and who the audience should, by all we've seen on screen, dislike.

(Of course, this leads to a deeper discussion on ableism in 70s/80s slasher horror and how depicting mental illness as harmful is wrong. That's a post for another day.)

In this light, do we watch the iconic "one of us" scene with fear, or do we see a celebration of acceptance in a community so widely unaccepted at the time? Perhaps unnerving to the film-goer of the 30s, but I would hope now things are different.

(Author's Note: Again, looking at articles, perhaps not!)

The other much talked aspect is the ending, and this is shocking. It's shocking and brutal and horrifying to think about when you know the ins and outs of tarring and feathering (Thanks Liberty's Kids!) It's aided most by only being on screen a short while, so that your eyes can't get adjusted to what you're seeing. This, really, is the only note of horror. But, like American Mary, it reflects the caution, and morals, of the story.

It's no surprise that American Horror Story: Freak Show, which draws such inspiration from this film, is one of, in my opinion, the stronger seasons.

Overall, it's hard to say that Freaks is an out and out horror for today's screens. It treats its cast of differently abled actors with dignity that's still lacking in modern horror and for the most of its runtime, shows its characters living fulfilling lives. The scares come from seeing the villains punished for their deeds, not that some people are different.