I think largely because it tackled a subject matter that was wildly out there for that era. And, it treated the "freaks" with respect and made the "normal" woman the villain. The director, Tod Browning, who even more famously directed the original "Dracula" with Bela Legosi, based "Freaks" on his own experiences in the circus.
Some of the imagery and the scares still can disturb a lot of jaded horror fans (not in your case, I guess). It was very raw and real at a time when horror movies tended towards the cartoonish, like those classic Universal monsters. Dracula, the Wolfman, Frankenstein.
Reply by jann
on February 13, 2017 at 10:05 PM
I think largely because it tackled a subject matter that was wildly out there for that era. And, it treated the "freaks" with respect and made the "normal" woman the villain. The director, Tod Browning, who even more famously directed the original "Dracula" with Bela Legosi, based "Freaks" on his own experiences in the circus.
Plus, it's just a darn good revenge story.
Reply by FlyingSaucersAreReal
on March 31, 2017 at 5:19 AM
Some of the imagery and the scares still can disturb a lot of jaded horror fans (not in your case, I guess). It was very raw and real at a time when horror movies tended towards the cartoonish, like those classic Universal monsters. Dracula, the Wolfman, Frankenstein.