Freaked is a crazy movie starring Alex Winter (the blonde from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) and Randy Quaid. It combines slapstick humor with dark comedy and some sci-fi/horror elements to create one very unique movie. If anything, see this movie for the cast that includes Mr. T, Brooke Shields, Bobcat Goldthwait, and an uncredited Keanu Reeves.

The story is told through a series of flashbacks while Winter’s character is on a talk show with Brooke Shields as the host. Alex Winter plays a cocky movie star who accepts a promotional deal with a chemical company to promote a new product that has been banned in most countries. In order to find out what the fuss is about, Winter and a friend go to South America and are greeted by a group of protesters led by Megan Ward (PCU). The three eventually end up in a car together and go off to visit a freak show park run by Randy Quaid, who looks like an insane redneck version of the famous KFC Colonel.

Winter and crew quickly find themselves in a bad situation when it turns out that Quaid’s character is a mad scientist who turns people into freaks by using the chemical that Winter is supposed to be promoting. Quaid turns Ward and the other guy into a combined man/woman and he turns half of Winter into what resembles a Gremlin from the classic movie. Among the other freaks are a dog boy, a pinhead, a man with a sock puppet for a head, and a giant worm. They are all prisoners of the freak show and together they devise a plan to shut down Quaid and escape their prison.

Freaked is a very silly movie full of comedy like what you’d see in The Three Stooges and the Airplane films. It has some funny parts, but would probably best be watched with a group and a case of beer. It was cool to see some of my favorite childhood stars, like Mr. T and Bobcat, though they don’t have very big roles. I never even realized that Keanu Reeves was in this until I look the movie up on IMDB.com. Randy Quaid looked like he was having fun on set and he outacts everyone involved, but that is no surprise. His big round face and sharp features combined with crazy costumes really make him look like the mad scientist part that he plays. Alex Winter was a little annoying in his role as the uppity actor and it seemed like he was talking with a fake Californian accent throughout the film.

The makeup effects in this film were excellent. Winter’s half-Gremlin outfit had a lot of great detail, including squirting green fluids. The giant worm also looked great. The other freaks have a lot of detail and are unique. The sets aren’t very big because this was a lower budget movie, but it is all supposed to look like a cheap backwoods carnival house anyway. This film was nominated for a Saturn award for best make-up.

Freaked wasn’t a big box office success, but it has gained a cult following over the years and a special edition DVD just came out for it. There are tons of extras included, but you have to really be into this movie to watch them all. I watched one of the behind-the-scenes documentaries and it showed some funny stuff with the cast chatting in between takes. There’s also some commentary on the disc, but I didn’t listen to it. All in all, this was a neat little movie, but not something I’d be interested in seeing more than once.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups