Set in a sideshow, the film is to a surprising extent the kind of character tapestry that Robert Altman specializes in, except these characters are playing themselves: pinheads, retards, human torsos, midgets, limbless wonders, siamese twins, etc. The use of these folks seems exploitative, except that they are portrayed with a great sense of dignity, loyalty, humor, and compassion. The abnormal folks are the heroes of the film; the "freaks" are the normal people who abuse them. It's a nice moral, and the embarrassment of gaping at the freaks is relieved by Browning's insistence on humanizing them. Still, when you see a "human worm" inching along in the dirt under a dressing-room carriage, it's hard to know what to feel. Which makes Freaks an genuine enduring classic. The story involves a gold-digging normal woman who sets out to abscond with the midget who is in love with her. When her nefarious plot is discovered, the freaks descend upon her and her muscleman boyfriend and show them who's boss, by – somehow, I know not how – turning the lady into some kind of duck-monster! There are many scenes of the freaks showcasing their various unique talents, and tons of sideshow-carny drinking on display. Certainly one of the oddest films ever released by a major studio, Freaks still out-weirds any David Lynch movie scene for scene. Plus, you just can't beat midgets stroking their guns and knives with menacing looks on their faces. As for its value as a "horror" film … the only horror involved is the horror of your own prejudice!
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