Alex Winter stars as Ricky Coogin, an arrogant former child star who becomes the celebrity spokesman for toxic fertilizer Zygrot-24.  But when Ricky is taken prisoner by demented sideshow impresario Elijah C. Skuggs (Randy Quaid), he is transformed into a hideous mutant freak to join the likes of the Bearded Lady (Mr. T), Sockhead (Bobcat Goldthwait), a human worm, a giant nose, and their fearless leader, Ortiz the Dog Boy.  Can a hack actor-turned-genetic nightmare now survive an evil conspiracy of corporate sleazebags, desperate milkmen, Rastafarian eyeballs, canned cheese and most horrifying of all, Brooke Shields!

CRITIQUE

Freaked is a funny, funny movie, a left-of-center comedy that was ahead of its time when it was released in the early nineties, now, twelve years later, the film is right on the mark; all the jokes are spot on.  No one would accuse this of being the greatest film of all time, but it is endlessly quotable, and Winter and Stern seem to have made exactly the film they wanted to make.

The make-up and special effects in Freaked are a lot of fun.  A mix of claymation and anamatronics, most of the effects are done in camera, where today they would all be done CGI.  This gives the effects a heart all their own; there is a creative edge missing in this high tech computer age of motion capture and digital wonder.  There is a craft and a heart and a creativity that is increasingly harder to come by.

Winter is Ricky Coogin, a former child star who is everything we expect a former child star to be: arrogant, self-centered, banking on a TV series that has long since ended.  Coogin is hired by the EBS Corporation (“Everything But Shoes”) to represent their revolutionary fertilizer Zygrot-24.  “Wasn’t that stuff banned,” wonders Coogin.  “Only in the United States... and Europe,” responds Dick Brian (William Sadler), the CEO of EBS.  Sadler, who costarred with Winter in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey as the Grim Reaper, obviously relishes this corporate sleaze role, and he is perfect in it.  He has many memorable one liners.  Randy Quaid has his share of great dialogue, and he is hilarious in the role of Skuggs.

The supporting cast is great, but the film belongs to Winter, who owns the role of Ricky Coogin, a man so egotistically self-centered that being turned into a hideous mutant is not enough to humble him.  He arrives in the South American republic of Santa Flan ready to sell some toxic fertilizer without thinking twice about it.  When he first meets Skuggs he tells him, “You look like a regular dumbshit old redneck to me,” and he changes very little from that moment on.

Freaked is a fun film.  It has been called the funniest unknown movie ever made, and that may not be far off the mark.  The gags come fast and unrelenting from a cast that is obviously aiming to please, and the subversive nature of the film never overwhelms its underlying charms.

THE VIDEO

Freaked is presented in the original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio.  The color levels are vibrant and expertly rendered, and the black levels are crisp.  The overall picture is sharp and free of defects.

THE AUDIO

This DVD features tracks in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.  The levels are clear through all channels, and the overall presentation is sharp.

THE EXTRAS

Disc 1:

Audio Commentary With Directors/Writers Alex Winter and Tom Stern: The two collaborators talk about the genesis of the film, the jokes, the technical aspects of the film, and the response over the years.  This is a great commentary.

Hijynx In Freekland: Fun behind-the-scenes footage of the cast and crew having fun on the set.  (11:49)

A Conversation With Tim Burns: The other writer on the film talks about how he came to be involved with the project - not only as a writer but also as Hideous Frogman - how the screenplay evolved.  Lots of interesting insight here.  (21:16)

Trailer: The original theatrical trailer.

Deleted Scenes: Two long scenes, shown in the context of the larger film.  Each scene is interesting on its own.

Freaked Art Gallery: Production art, poster designs and storyboards.

Screenplay: This is a PDF version of the entire original screenplay available on DVD-Rom.

Disc 2:

Freaked: The Rehearsal Version: Full length rehearsal of the film, featuring scenes and dialogue cut from the completed film.

There Are No Weirdos Here!: Early script reading of selected scenes.  (5:31)

It’s the Troll!: Early rehearsal footage featuring the Stuey Gluck character.  (3:05)

Under Construkshen: Behind-the-scenes footage showing the construction of Freak Land.  (3:37)

Behold... The Beast Boy!: Behind-the-scenes footage showing Alex Winter’s make-up transformation.  He even does a little Shakespeare.  (6:56)

Short Films: Two films, Squeal of Death (15:49) and NYU Sight & Sound Project (0:54), early projects by collaborators Alex Winter and Tom Stern.  Squeal of Death is especially entertaining.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Freaked is a hilarious little film that was virtually ignored upon its initial release but has developed a cult following over the years.  The film is hilarious and is ripe for rediscovery now that it has finally been released on DVD.  The audio-visual presentation is superb, and the bonus material is detailed and insightful.