Freaks

They say that films from the 1930s were wholesome and clean. Whoever said that clearly never saw any of the horror films from that era. Many of the films from that time period influenced so many films in the decades to come.

That said, there are some that filmmakers don't even dare to top. One such film is Tod Browning's Freaks. The fact that no one had even thought of remaking it shows the film's impact. The fact this was made back in 1932 makes it all the more shocking.

Browning (who directed Dracula the year before) knows how to captivate his audience. How so? Simple: he takes a story commonly found in most films and gives it a surreal take on it. Think of it as Double Indemnity set in the circus.

The most curious factor of Freaks is that the freaks in question aren't the people who allow themselves to be put on display because of their deformities. The freaks are actually trapeze artist Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) and her strongman lover Hercules (Henry Victor). That's because Browning makes the "freaks" human and glorifies the bad traits within Cleopatra and Hercules. It's a clever move by him.

Freaks is, well, a freaky film. Just watching it shows why it got so much controversy eighty years ago and how it shocks today. Finally, a film Hollywood doesn't even dare to remake. (You never see those nowadays. Never.)

My Rating: *****

Dracula

To most horror movie fans, the 1930's marked the starting point of the genre. That's definitely true if you consider the the titles released from that time period.

On of them is Dracula. No denying that Bela Lugosi is one freaky vampire. The Hungarian accent and that look in his eyes prove that. Seriously, try not to get spooked out by his close-up with that beam of light over his eyes.

One aspect of Dracula I like is the lack of music. Most horror movies use music to build up suspense. (Psycho, anyone?) I think the absence of music makes it more suspenseful than if there was music, but that's just me.

Dracula is very good but considering the number of horror movies I've seen prior to this, the scare factor was relatively low. Still, Lugosi is a spooky vampire. Take that, Twilight.

My Rating: ****1/2