Freaked Review

Review of Freaked (1993) by screenqueeen: 👍 4.5/5

the thirteenth night in the lonesome hooptober day 29 film 26 cats: 0

79/100

Alex Winter, Tom Stern and Tim Burns saw SHE FREAK and were as disappointed as i was if not more. this digs into the spiritual drive behind FREAKS and cranks things into overdrive to bring it to the ridiculous "sensibilities" of the 90s, shooting flames out of the tail pipe like a hot rod in an Ed Roth illustration as this effortlessly catches up to the modern day of its time.

this is the lost zucker brothers style comedy i needed when i was 13 (and right now), just also immeasurably horny. i'm still 13 in there somewhere. features gags that run in my brain unprompted and still shows me proof that stupid tiny microscopic jokes can change a life. everyone is at the top of their fucking game here: Winter at his muddy-on-purpose Elvis/Nick Rivers impersonation read more through body language than voice or cadence (the Christian Slater callout is incredible); Quaid in perhaps his most suited role suggesting he's "more normal than this" despite how part of Skuggs's look must have been informed through how Randy the actor wears his skin; Reeves as Ortiz the dawg boy (who insists on calling Ricky 'Ricardo' is a fun reverse I Love Lucy gag) is tantalizingly hypnotic as he seems at ease in a therian skin*; Mr. T not just as a bearded lady but as a sorely fucking needed positive representation as a trans woman, exuding tender respect for her existence in a comfort that she extends even in the sideshow (her beauty tips are enough to make the dolls cry and take some notes!); Heidi Klum is quite good; John Hawkes (SCARY MOVIE and DEADWOOD's own) as the cow-boy isn't just inspired, its wired; Bobcat Goldthwait as an anthropomorphized sock puppet who gets booed when his mask comes off revealing a third hand under there (tough crowd!); William Sadler as the soulless head of the EES (everything except shoes) mega corpo-conglomo, literally puppeteering a shell board of directors; and Brooke Shields in a fun bookending wraparound for Ricky's tell all on talk show country.

the effects are a perfect extension of that game of catch-up i mentioned earlier, with a large number of creature and character designs feeling like those of Ed Roth himself. Ricky's full-on beast boy mode is a wondrous sight to behold and no one but the Chiodo brothers and Screaming Mad George could have done this better. the film would not work without their influence and dedication. this is the movie that plays 24/7 in the great carnival in the sky for those of us that find our way there (if there are even hour/day limitations wherever that is). incredible fucking movie.

*hmmm, Dogstar, anyone? Keanu as a publicly declared therian would be such a cool thing to do