“A singularity. There has never been and will never be a film like this again.”
—Guillermo del Toro

Tod Browning’s notorious carnival shocker has become a part of outsider culture through the ministrations of The Ramones and others who have adopted the battle cry of the so-called “freaks” against the morally execrable “normals.” The story is simple: a strong man and a beauty queen treat a group of sideshow performers terribly and live to regret it. Banned for years. An important work of cinema.