She Freak

Last updated
She Freak
She Freak poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBryon Mabe
Written by David F. Friedman
Based on Freaks
by Tod Browning
Produced byDavid F. Friedman
Starring
CinematographyWilliam Troiano
Edited byByron Mabe
Music byWilliam Castleman
Production
company
Sonney-Friedman Pictures
Distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation [1]
Release date
  • May 3, 1967 (1967-05-03) [1]
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$75,000 [2]

She Freak (sometimes stylized as She-Freak) [3] is a 1967 American exploitation horror film directed by Byron Mabe and starring Claire Brennen, Lee Raymond, and Lynn Courtney. It is an unofficial remake of the 1932 film Freaks . [2] An alternate version of the film, titled Asylum of the Insane, was also released, and features inserts shot by Donn Davison.

Contents

Plot

Jade Cochran is an incredulous, cynical waitress who works at a rundown cafe. Determined to escape her lowly life and earn extra money, she agrees to take a second job serving meals to the workers of a traveling carnival sideshow that has arrived in town. She soon makes friends with Pat, a stripper, and Steve St. John, the owner of the carnival and overseer of the freakshow exhibit.

Allured by Steve's wealth, Jade sets her intent on romancing and marrying him for his money. Jade manages to woo Steve, and the two eventually marry, though Jade continues to carry on an affair with Blackie Fleming, a gruff ride operator at the carnival. Steve soon confronts Blackie about the tryst, and the two get into a violent tussle in which Blackie stabs Steve to death. Blackie is convicted of Steve's murder, and Jade happily inherits Steve's assets, including the carnival.

Jade begins abusing her newfound power as the owner of the carnival, and fires Shortie, a dwarf in the freakshow who originally informed Steve of Jade's indiscretion with Blackie. In retaliation, Shortie and the other carnival freaks band together and corner Jade at the carnival, viciously attacking her. Some time later, Jade, grossly mutilated and without legs, is placed on exhibit in the carnival's freakshow as the 'Snake Woman'.

Cast

Production

Writer-producer David F. Friedman admitted the film was "an outright remake" of Tod Browning's 1932 horror film Freaks . [2]

She Freak was filmed on a budget of $75,000 at the Kern County Fair in Bakersfield, California. [2]

Release

She Freak premiered on May 3, 1967, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [1] It had its Los Angeles premiere on October 11, 1967, as a double bill with The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966). [1]

Critical response

Robert Firsching of AllMovie notes: "This entertaining sexploitation update of Freaks from producer David Friedman and director B. Ron Elliott (using the pseudonym "Byron Mabe") has its moments for sympathetic viewers." [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Freaks</i> (1932 film) 1932 American horror film by Tod Browning

Freaks is a 1932 American pre-Code drama horror film produced and directed by Tod Browning, starring Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Roscoe Ates and Harry Earles.

<i>The Craft</i> (film) 1996 film by Andrew Fleming

The Craft is a 1996 American teen supernatural horror film directed by Andrew Fleming from a screenplay by Peter Filardi and Fleming and a story by Filardi. The film stars Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True. It follows four outcast teenage girls at a Los Angeles parochial high school who pursue witchcraft for their own gain and subsequently experience negative repercussions.

<i>Gothic</i> (film) 1986 British film

Gothic is a 1986 British psychological horror film directed by Ken Russell, starring Gabriel Byrne as Lord Byron, Julian Sands as Percy Bysshe Shelley, Natasha Richardson as Mary Shelley, Myriam Cyr as Claire Clairmont and Timothy Spall as Dr. John William Polidori. It features a soundtrack by Thomas Dolby, and marks Richardson's and Cyr's film debut.

<i>Carnival of Souls</i> 1962 film by Herk Harvey

Carnival of Souls is a 1962 American psychological horror film produced and directed by Herk Harvey and written by John Clifford from a story by Clifford and Harvey, and starring Candace Hilligoss. Its plot follows Mary Henry, a young woman whose life is disturbed after a car accident. She relocates to a new city, where she finds herself unable to assimilate with the locals, and becomes drawn to the pavilion of an abandoned carnival. Director Harvey also appears in the film as a ghoulish stranger who stalks her throughout. The film is set to an organ score by Gene Moore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Brennan</span> American actress and singer (1932–2013)

Eileen Brennan was an American actress. She made her film debut in the satire Divorce American Style (1967), followed by a supporting role in Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971), which earned her a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Cochran</span> American actor

Steve Cochran was an American film, television and stage actor. He attended the University of Wyoming. After a stint working as a cowboy, Cochran developed his acting skills in local theatre and gradually progressed to Broadway, film and television.

Daniel Pratt Mannix IV was an American writer, journalist, photographer, sideshow performer, stage magician, animal trainer, and filmmaker. His best-known works are the 1958 book Those About to Die, which remained in continuous print for three decades and became the basis for the Ridley Scott movie Gladiator; and the 1967 novel The Fox and the Hound, which in 1981 was adapted into an animated feature film by Walt Disney Productions.

David Frank Friedman was an American filmmaker and film producer best known for his B movies, exploitation films, nudie cuties, and sexploitation films.

<i>Carnival Story</i> 1954 film

Carnival Story is a 1954 drama film directed by Kurt Neumann, produced by Frank King and Maurice King, starring Anne Baxter and Steve Cochran, and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It was made as a co-production between West Germany and the United States.

<i>The Funhouse</i> 1981 film directed by Tobe Hooper

The Funhouse is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper, written by Larry Block and starring Elizabeth Berridge, Kevin Conway, William Finley, Cooper Huckabee, Miles Chapin, Largo Woodruff, Wayne Doba, and Sylvia Miles. The film's plot concerns four teenagers who become trapped in a dark ride at a local carnival in Iowa and are stalked by a mentally disabled murderous carnie.

<i>Sssssss</i> 1973 film by Bernard L. Kowalski

Sssssss is a 1973 American horror film starring Strother Martin, Dirk Benedict and Heather Menzies. It was directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and written by Hal Dresner and Daniel C. Striepeke, the latter of whom also produced the film. The make-up effects were created by John Chambers and Nick Marcellino. It received a nomination for the Best Science Fiction Film award of the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 1975.

<i>Freakshow</i> (film) 2007 American horror film directed by Drew Bell

Freakshow is a 2007 independent film which was made by The Asylum, directed by Drew Bell. It is an unofficial remake of the Tod Browning film Freaks. According to the film poster and DVD cover art, Freakshow is banned in 43 countries, though there is no mention of which countries banned it.

<i>Carnival of Souls</i> (1998 film) 1998 American film

Carnival of Souls is a 1998 American horror film, a remake of Herk Harvey's 1962 horror film of the same name, although it has very little in common with the story of the original. It stars Bobbie Phillips and comedian Larry Miller, and was directed by Adam Grossman and Ian Kessner. It was executive produced by Wes Craven. The film received generally negative reviews.

<i>A Wet Dream on Elm Street</i> 2011 film by Lee Roy Myers

A Wet Dream on Elm Street is a 2011 pornographic slasher comedy film written and directed by Lee Roy Myers, as a parody of the 1984 film A Nightmare on Elm Street. In the film parody, the Freddy Krueger character has vibrators attached to his fingers, and places women into "pleasure comas" after giving them orgasms. Myers produced the film with Tom Byron Pictures; Tom Byron and Myers had previously collaborated on the film The Human Sexipede. It was released to DVD format on September 29, 2011.

<i>American Horror Story: Freak Show</i> Fourth season of American Horror Story

The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series American Horror Story, subtitled Freak Show, is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their struggle for survival. The ensemble cast includes Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Michael Chiklis, Frances Conroy, Emma Roberts, Denis O'Hare, Finn Wittrock, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange, with all returning from previous seasons, except newcomers Chiklis and Wittrock. The season marks the first not to be strictly anthological, with Lily Rabe, Naomi Grossman, and John Cromwell reprising their roles from the series' second cycle, Asylum.

<i>The Howling</i> (franchise) American media franchise

The Howling is an American werewolf-themed horror media franchise that includes three novels and eight films. The series began with the 1977 horror novel The Howling by Gary Brandner, which was in 1981 adapted into the film of the same name, directed by Joe Dante.

<i>Flatliners</i> (2017 film) 2017 film by Niels Arden Oplev

Flatliners is a 2017 American science fiction psychological horror film directed by Niels Arden Oplev and written by Ben Ripley. A stand-alone sequel to and remake of the 1990 film of the same name, it stars Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, and Kiersey Clemons. The story follows five medical students who attempt to conduct experiments that produce near-death experiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexy Kolker</span> American actress (born 2009)

Alexa RoseKolker is an American actress. She starred as Chloe in the science fiction thriller film Freaks (2018), which earned her a Young Artist Award and a Saturn Award nomination. Prior to this, she had recurring roles as Mary Swagger on the television series Shooter (2016–2018) and Robin Hinton on the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2017–2018).

<i>The Kissing Booth 3</i> 2021 film by Vince Marcello

The Kissing Booth 3 is a 2021 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Vince Marcello and written by Marcello and Jay Arnold. The third and final installment in The Kissing Booth trilogy based on Beth Reekles' novel of the same name, the film stars Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young and Molly Ringwald.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "She Freak (1967)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute . Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Senn 2015, p. 138.
  3. 1 2 "She-Freak (1967)". AllMovie . Retrieved March 30, 2020.

Sources