# Freaks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2008, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freaks/476501 "2008-12-10T03:41:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freaks/476501/41 "2008-12-13T12:57:27Z")
I think that _Freaks_ shows that your opinion of a film shouldn’t be formed in the same way as, say, you assign a G.P.A. to a student based on their grades in various subjects. You can’t just look at a film and say, “Well, the plot gets an A, the charaterization gets a B, the dialogue gets a B, the special effects get a C, the acting gets a B, the sets get a C, and the directing gets a A, so on average the film gets a B, which means that it’s a pretty good movie but not a great one.” The acting in _Freaks_ is weak, the dialogue isn’t very good, the plot doesn’t make a lot of sense, by any reasonably standard the movie looks cheaply made, and none of that greatly matters. It’s still one of the most frightening films ever made and simply a great movie. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freaks/476501/42 "2008-12-13T16:13:10Z")
I love that movie! For one thing, it’s got what I think is a near-perfect mixture of elements: pathos, humor, awe, sympathy (you start to relate to the physically bizarre characters as people, with problems and pleasures and community, rather than just…well, physically bizarre characters) and – very unusual in a “horror movie” of that era – some genuinely creepy and frightening moments (as it slowly becomes evident that Hans’ friends are on to Cleo and start shadowing her…and, oh yes, the climactic pursuit through the storm). All that, and in just over an hour --a nice display of storytelling technique, I think. For another, well, I have always been the kind of person who enjoys books about sideshow people and physical anomalies, and wishes that circuses and carnivals could still have the old Ten-In-One exhibits, and the movie,_Freaks_ is about as close as I’ll ever get to seeing one. And I bet I’m not the only one on this Board, either! It’s natural, when we see someone who’s really, markedly different in appearance from most people, to want to take a long close gander at them, just because they _are_ unusual-looking, and shows like the one portrayed in \*Freaks \*let us indulge that curiousity without hurting anyone’s feelings or being obnoxious. Also, I’ve read the short story that it’s loosely based on (“_Spurs_”, by one Tod Robins), and it’s a little gem of cruelty, grotesque imagery and sick-as-syphilis humor that’s _wa-ay_ more outrageous than the movie both in its actions and its attitude. Finally , it’s got \*\*Schlitze \*\*and the \*\*Snow Sisters \*\*in it (although Jenny and Elvira only get about ten seconds of onscreen time)! Aren’t they three of the most weirdly adorable little individuals you ever saw? I’ve wanted a pet Schlitze ever since I watched that flick for the first time. And that almost makes me hope I can stick around long enough to see custom-designed androids become commercially available, so I can have a Schlitze and a pair of Snowgirls of my very own. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freaks/476501/43 "2008-12-13T17:52:34Z")
> [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > Finally , it’s got \*\*Schlitze \*\*and the \*\*Snow Sisters \*\*in it (although Jenny and Elvira only get about ten seconds of onscreen time)! Aren’t they three of the most weirdly adorable little individuals you ever saw? I’ve wanted a pet Schlitze ever since I watched that flick for the first time. And that almost makes me hope I can stick around long enough to see custom-designed androids become commercially available, so I can have a Schlitze and a pair of Snowgirls of my very own. I met a microcephalic once. She looked at me with such intense love and innocence I was struck dumb and had to work to hold back the tears until I got someplace private, not in pity, but in awe. It was like looking at the face of God. Schlitzie was said to be like that, though he also liked getting a rise out of people. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freaks/476501/44 "2008-12-13T19:59:51Z")
> [@Diane](#): > > So ummmmm. . . I really liked it, but I am still trying to decide how I feel about it. On one hand, I think it is commendable that the movie makers put these people in the film and I liked the message - that a person can be beautiful on the outside, but a monster on the inside and visa-versa. But on the other hand, the movie seemed a bit side-showish exploiting and I think the movie makers went back a few steps after making these people seem “normal” then turning them into scary freaks as they crept up on Cleopatra. > > Did that make any sense? I am really sleepy. It’s been years since I’ve watched this movie, but that’s how I remember feeling after I first saw it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freaks/476501.md?page=2)