''Freakshow'' is a 2007 independent film which was made by

The Asylum The Asylum is an American independent film company and distributor that focuses on producing low-budget, direct-to-video films. It is notorious for producing titles that capitalize on productions by major studios, often using film titles and sc ...

, directed by Drew Bell. It is an unofficial remake of the

Tod Browning Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of vari ...

film ''

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

''. According to the film poster and DVD cover art, ''Freakshow'' is banned in 43 countries, though there is no mention of which countries banned it.

Plot

''Freakshow'' portrays a gang of thieves, working as security guards in a traveling carnival, who plot to steal their rich owner's fortune. Lucy, one of the thieves, attempts to take the fortune by herself by seducing the Boss and marrying him. The youngest member of the Freakshow, Kimmie stumbles across a few of the gang members stealing food and she is murdered by the thieves. When the murder is discovered, the freaks plot revenge. In a variety of gruesome ways, the thieves are murdered by the freaks. Lucy attempts to escape punishment by swearing her love for the carnival Boss. The freaks "spare" her by giving her a Freakshow "act" which will make her a full member of their troupe. They mutilate her, cut out her tongue, sew her mouth shut, strip her flesh, and cut off her limbs before finally displaying her in the Freakshow Gallery as the "Worm Girl".

Cast

Christopher Adamson Christopher Adamson is a British actor. He often portrays villains on film, such as in ''Judge Dredd'' (as Mean Machine Angel), '' Lighthouse'', '' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'', '' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'', ...

as The Boss (Lon) *

Rebekah Kochan Rebekah Kochan is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Tiffani von der Sloot in the ''Eating Out'' franchise. Biography Kochan has been acting since she was nine years old. Her first role was in a Las Vegas production of ''An ...

as Lucy * Dane Rosselli as Hank * Mighty Mike Murga as Curtis the

Dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

* Jeffrey Allen as Strongman * Diego Barquinero as The

Wolfman In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropy, therianthropic mythological hybr ...

* Jimmy Goldman as The Great Riwami * Sharon Edrei as Sherri * Amy Dunton as Bobby-Bobbie * Amanda Ward as

Cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

Girl * McKenna Geu as Little Kimmie * John Karyus as

Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then wen ...

* Stefanie Naifeh as

Bearded Lady A bearded lady (or bearded woman) is a female with a naturally occurring beard normally due to the condition known as hirsutism or hypertrichosis. Hypertrichosis causes people of either sex to develop excess hair over their entire body (including ...

* Evan Block as Human Shadow * Bill Quinn as The Chef (Legless Man) * Etta Devine as

Mongoloid Mongoloid () is an obsolete racial grouping of various peoples indigenous to large parts of Asia, the Americas, and some regions in Europe and Oceania. The term is derived from a now-disproven theory of biological race. In the past, other terms ...

* Ken Gardner as

Clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

* Wayne Baldwin as Narrator

Production

The film was heavily inspired by

's 1932 horror film ''

''. Many of the film's cast were actual circus performers and disabled actors which was also inspired by Browning's film.

Release

''Freakshow'' was released on DVD January 30, 2007. It was later re-released on DVD by

Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Echo Bridge Entertainment is an American independent distribution company. It acquires and distributes feature films, scripted and non-scripted series, documentaries, and children’s programming for home video, digital and television in the United ...

on May 18, 2010.

Reception

Critical reception for the film has been mostly negative. ''Horror News.net'' gave the film a negative review stating, "''Freakshow'' is not a movie I recommend, not because it is controversial, but because it is watered down and bland. That being said, I’m not against giving the writer and/or director another shot if I see their names on a different movie; we all make mistakes, and hopefully we learn from our biggest ones". ''Eat Horror'' panned the film, calling the film's acting and script "awful", also criticizing the film's unsympathetic characters, and over the top gore.

References

External links

Official site
at The Asylum * * {{Freaks 2007 films 2007 horror films 2007 direct-to-video films 2007 independent films 2007 psychological thriller films American horror films The Asylum films American independent films Films set in the 1930s Remakes of American films Circus films Films about disability Films about intellectual disability Films about sideshow performers Films about people with dwarfism Films about paraplegics or quadriplegics Horror films about clowns Horror film remakes 2000s English-language films 2000s American films