Freakshow (The Original Uncut Version)

Freakshow (2006) was ridiculously boring. Based on Tod Browning's controversial cult classic, Freaks (1932), Freakshow fell WAY short in offering the same entertainment value and failed to contribute anything new to modern horror. Although the acting was decent, the story itself was unimaginative and uninteresting and didn't give the actresses/actors much to work with. And what the hell is with the advertisement claiming the movie was banned in 43 countries!? I call BS.On a positive note, the music in the movie--mostly from the first decade of the 20th century--was awesome. Also, special effects makeup successfully induced queasiness, especially the bursting boils covering the lead actor's (Christopher Adamson) body--DISGUSTING! Finally, acts from real-life circus performers helped ameliorate the utter hopelessness that largely characterized this freakin film. The extras confirm that the acts were authentic, e.g. fire play and hooks through the backs of two dudes that are subsequently suspended and twirled in air. The armless, knife-throwing dude was cool too, especially in the extras where he drives off from the set in his car--the adaptive nature of humans is amazing and uncanny.Despite the few moments of eye-appealing scenes, be warned that much of this film will leave the viewer disappointed and appalled at how bad a movie can be. The Asylum's 2006 release of Freakshow on DVD includes widescreen presentation, 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo formatting, no subtitles, and several bonus features, which turned out to be much more enjoyable than the feature film.

This film takes place at a sideshow circus. You've got these thieves trying to steal stuff from the circus owner who has a bunch of freaks, and you get a slow-paced film with too much unnecessary filler. Almost all of the violence and gore takes place towards the end of the film. Without providing any effective atmosphere, you just simply watch the film go from one dialogue scene to the next at the circus. It attempts to build character development and tell a plot that is simple and doesn't require the amount of filler which is in the film. There's some topless scenes in the film, and it has some violent and effective gore sequences. The ending torture scene is really gruesome, but the movie is sometimes dull and uninvolving. None of the soundtracks are worth mentioning, it lacks action overall, and the directing is mediocre. I wasn't buying this type of film to see a slow-moving and talky flick; I just wanted exploitation in a film like this. I really liked some of violence and gore; it certainly delivers in some parts. However, it suffers in replay value because of its unnecessary filler; it's simply dull at times. It says on the box it's banned in 43 countries, but I don't believe it.This DVD has a good amount of extras like a filmmaker's commentary, alternate ending and opening and some more. This review is for the first release of the film. The DVD has now been released again by another company. I don't know if the newer release has these extras. The DVD quality is really good.

I watched this originally on tv and have to say a lot of the movie was ok but not great. But there was a scene that left me sweating and shaky as t was so realistic looking and as a woman it caused physical pain in areas that only a woman could really sympathize to. It was nothing like the original "Freaks" as its kind of portrayed as. The story line of a woman trying to screw over a carnival owner and his freaks is there but thats as far as it ends. Except for the scene I referred to previously. The original shows the woman changed into something else as after the freaks get a hold of her. This one the woman is indeed changed but it shows how in a very realistic gore filled way where nothing is left to imagination as it shows it in full detail. I wouldn't recommend this to the squeamish!

This movie is not a big name which I liked because sometimes renowned movies can not be up to the hype. The movie's story is a bit dry and seem silly but it makes up for it in the very end. I can not tell you much about the ending but it makes up for all things prior. This movie is banned in 43 countries which might mean to you that this is an extreme movie, but you have to remember that some countries don't support nudity/sex scenes/ and/or piercing/tattoos in their films.I first heard about this movie when I rented from my local video store a few years back and was open minded where it could lead me (plus the banned sticker wasn't hard to miss either). The movie isn't that long but some parts drag and you think it is going nowhere. Watch the whole film and you might get disturbed what the ending will show (I am not going to spoil it for you).

. . . as a matter of fact, it has nudity; blood 'n' guts;and the most disgusting, graphic mutilation-murderimaginable . . . and not in an entertaining way either.NOT my favorite horror film!

I got this movie realizing that it was going to be a B/C Movie. Say that, the story was OK, some of the "freaks" were interesting even though they really did not have much to do until the end. The ending was not that great and the music was irritating.

Creepy, disturbing, crazy movie and I love it! Not your below average desperate attempt at a horror flick Hollywood has been failing at.

I plead the 5th.

....watched this on zone horror, well actually just turned it over when it had about 20 mins to go. i cant tell you what the actual film is like apart from the last 10 mins is one of the most sickest, most brutal torture scenes i have ever seen. no joke, i am a horror buff and can handle almost anything but this left me feeling sick. one of the most graphic endings i have ever seen, god knows what the rest of it is like. if you like gore, check it out - i love gore, but this was stomach churning.the makers left nothing to the imagination, well done to them for such wonderful affects that look almost real - be warned, not for the faint hearted...

Bought for a third party

Love this movie

great

A group of criminals hide out by working at a travelling circus, they decide they may as well steal whatever they can from the circus with the help of the corrupt security chief. It isn't long before Lucy, the only female member of the gang, comes up with a plot to seduce Lon, the owner of the circus and get him to marry her. It seems that Lon has managed to amass a small fortune over the years, and if Lucy can succeed in getting Lon to marry her, they can knock him off and take the money for themselves. The only problem they have is that most of the "freaks" that live with the circus are very cautious about "outsiders", especially when a pretty one seems so interested in the physically repulsive Lon. It isn't long before their plan is overheard, and when something horriffic happens to one of the family, it's time for the outsiders to go.Christopher Adamson is good as Lon, in a sort of over the top, entertaining way. He's just the right amount of repulsive, but there was one or two scenes where he made me feel sorry for his character which was quite surprising. Rebekah Kochan is pretty cute as Lucy, she isn't shy when it comes to topless scenes which is good, as I don't see many acting awards coming her way any time soon. The rest of the cast are quite forgettable, except of course for the real life actors with physical defects. I believe that most, if not all of the "freaks" are real, the wolfman, the dwarfs, the limbless, the strongman are all real performers which at least adds some authenticity. It's directed by Drew Bell, he did a decent job of creating a bit of atmosphere. The look of the film added to the performances, makes you feel a little on edge, especially with the great choices he made with the music. There's a fair bit of nudity, but it's not excessive or overly gratuitous. The film has become quite well known for a 5-10 minute scene that involves somebody being disfigured and skinned, it might just be me, but I really didn't find it sickening or nasty at all. It is quite bloody and someone not used to watching films with such scenes may be shocked or horrified, but if the only reason you're interested in the film is for that scene alone, I think you'll be quite disappointed. The cover also states that the film was banned in 43 countries, I doubt it was actually banned in all those countries, slightly cut seems much more plausible. It wouldn't surprise me if it's on the cover purely for marketing purposes, let's not forget this film is from the folks at The Asylum. I've seen quite a few films The Asylum have released, mostly their "mockbusters". Normally they claim their films have a budget way below a million dollars, that's where this film is different. This one has a budget of a million dollars, it was shot on the same set the tv show Carnivale was using, it looks and feels completely different to the other Asylum films i've seen, and whether you want to say it's inspired by or is a remake of Tod Browning's Freaks, at least it's not a quick cash in on a current blockbuster. I genuinely feel that with Freakshow, The Asylum really tried to make a decent film. When compared to the other Asylum films i've watched, i'd say they succeeded, at least to a degree.The picture quality on the dvd is pretty good, but there's no extras on the version I bought. It's also region 1 and would require you to have a region free dvd player. I believe there's a version of the film that has a few extras on including a director's commentary, I wasn't all that bothered with this film and the low price of this version was more than good enough. I can't quite decide whether I liked Freakshow or not and i've watched it twice, it's definitely entertaining though. There's not enough blood and guts for the gore fans, there's actually no blood or guts until the last 10 minutes. It's also nowhere near as well acted or compelling as Tod Browning's 1932 original. I'd say it's worth a watch if you liked Freaks, but it's not nearly as good.