The horror film Freaks, directed by Tod Browning, was a controversial film of its time as it involved main characters with disabilities, referred to as “freaks” in the film. Freaks was considered to be shocking at the time since many Americans did not have experience with people with disabilities as they were often ostracized. The film follows Cleopatra, an able-bodied trapeze artist, who uses manipulation to fulfill her selfish needs. When she learns that one of the freaks, Hans, has an inheritance, Cleopatra plans to marry him with the intention of stealing his fortune and running off with Hercules, her actual lover. Through Freaks, Browning rejects what the public might believe to be monstrous, which is appearing disabled. The film explores the idea that monstrosity actually comes from someone’s cruel characteristics.
During the first half of the film, Browning challenges standards of monstrosity by portraying the freaks as normal and relatable people, which contrasts and highlights Cleo’s monstrosity. The scenes allow the audience to view disabled bodies engaging in everyday activities in unique ways, such as a limbless man lighting a cigarette using only his mouth and a legless man walking up the stairs. This close focus on the freaks allows the audience to observe this disability-turned-ability. Another example is Madame Tetralini and the freaks happily playing in a meadow. Other activities include one of the freaks giving birth, the freaks chatting with their able-bodied friends, and Violet and Daisy, who are conjoined twins, conducting their separate courtships with two different men. Through these scenes of the freaks, Browning causes the audience to relate and empathize with the freaks instead of seeing them as separate from others.
On the other hand, Cleopatra views the freaks as separate and inferior to her, conveying her cruelness. Her reaction to the freaks’ kind gesture during their wedding feast highlights the antagonistic reaction between Cleopatra and the freaks. In this scene, the freaks perform a jovial ritual and chant to make Cleopatra one of them. As the freaks chant “one of us,” it highlights the clear division between normality and abnormality. The freaks self-identify as their own separate group, dividing themselves from Cleopatra. However, the freaks are willing to accept her into their group with a warm welcome, but the thought of becoming one of the freaks is an inconceivable nightmare for Cleopatra.
The moment that Hercules snickers to Cleopatra that the freaks are going to make her one of them, all of her disdainful smiles drop from her face. While Angeleno, one of the freaks, passes around a cup and the freaks chant in unison, the camera’s focus alternates between Angeleno and Cleopatra. The kind and jubilant attitude of the freaks are contrasted with Cleopatra’s looks of dread and revulsion, making her appear like a monster especially since the audience knows about her selfish plan. The chant’s volume rises and Hercules maniacally chuckles as Cleopatra rises and distances herself from the table and Cleopatra’s rejection, which she had been hiding from the freaks, becomes especially apparent. She stands away from the table of freaks in a stiff and judgmental manner as she watches as Angeleno takes the final sip from the cup. After taking the cup from Angeleno, Cleopatra has a distraught look on her face as she breathes heavily. Suddenly, she begins shouting violent insults at the freaks, calling them dirty, slimy, and telling them to leave the room. Hercules joins in with more shouting, further portraying the divide of the normal and the abnormal. The cordiality and vibrancy that was present in the room are completely absent, and the freaks step away from the table together with dismal expressions. Then, Cleopatra turns to Hans and criticizes and mocks him in front of the crowd, revealing to everyone that she does not actually love him.
The shots from Cleopatra’s perspective put the viewers in her shoes, highlighting how shameful and cruel her response to the freaks is, which would likely be a common response to freaks in the 1930s. However, since the audience’s connection to the freaks was established through the beginning scenes, the freaks’ welcome invitation does not appear to be threatening, as the only real threat becomes Cleopatra.
The film shifts in its later stages when the freaks decide to band together, determined to get revenge on Cleopatra. This is the first time that the film truly conveys them as frightening, as they crawl through the mud at night in a strong rainstorm. Although the freaks appear to be scary in this scene, the fact that they are not the real monsters still holds since their anger is just.
Through Freaks, Browning effectively shows the audience how wrong Cleopatra’s view and treatment of the freaks is. As human beings, many tend to see people who are different as unable to be related to. Browning closely connects the viewers to disabled people and shows them that they are not as different as some may think. Through Cleopatra, he presents his own opinion of what monstrosity is.