Freaks
Tap a dot to add your rating.
Back in cinemas Sep 26 — 1 cinema in Massachusetts · 1 screenings at 1 cinema on our showtimes page
Where to watch: Not on major US streamers — check digital rental.
How it scared people
The vibe
Tod Browning cast actual sideshow performers and let them play human beings for an hour before the storm-drenched finale turns them into something else — a betrayal of his own cast that the film half-knows it's committing. MGM hacked it down to sixty-four minutes and Britain banned it for three decades. The wedding-feast chant still lands.
Freaks (1932) Parents Guide
| MPA rating | No MPAA certificate (released outside the US system) |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 64 minutes |
| Jump scares | 2/5 — on the gentler side — it favors mood and atmosphere over hard scares |
| Gore | 1/5 — almost no gore |
| Dread | 4/5 — heavy atmosphere — expect it to sit with you afterwards |
| Themes | psychological distress; violent revenge |
Freaks carries no MPAA certificate. We score it 2/5 for jump scares, 1/5 for gore and 4/5 for lingering dread, over 64 minutes. Very little blood — the hard part here is atmosphere and aftermath, not graphic content. Older teens and adults — less for what it shows than for how long it stays with you.
We rate what the film does — scares, gore, dread — not scene-level content like language or nudity, which we don't track.
Before you press play
- How scary is Freaks?
- On our intensity scale, Freaks rates 4/10 for jump scares and 8/10 for dread. It is on the gentler side — it favors mood and atmosphere over hard scares.
- How gory is Freaks?
- Freaks rates 2/10 for gore — expect almost no gore.
- How long is Freaks?
- Freaks runs 64 minutes (1h 4m).
- What is Freaks rated?
- Freaks has no MPAA certificate — common for films released outside the US. On our scale it rates 4/10 for jump scares, 2/10 for gore and 8/10 for dread.
- Where to watch Freaks (1932)?
- Freaks is back in cinemas from Sep 26 — 1 screening at 1 cinema on our showtimes page. It is not on a major US subscription streamer yet.
