freakmaker

THE FLICK: The Freakmaker (or The Mutations as it was widely released) is an anomaly in the career of its director Jack Cardiff, better known as the award-winning cinematographer for Michael Powell’s Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes. That such a renowned filmmaker would even consider dabbling on a project that included genetically-altered man-eating plants, a parade of circus freaks, and copious amounts of swinging ‘70s female nudity is mystifying, to put it mildly. But dabble he did. And what may be even more surprising, Cardiff’s cinematic skill didn’t exactly carry over to The Freakmaker’s bottom line. The film, which was also lucky enough to score actors Donald Pleasance and Tom “Doctor Who” Baker, falls squarely in the realm of other cheapie monster flicks of the time such as The Creeping Flesh and Scream and Scream Again; equal amounts guilty pleasure and outdated tedium. Yet the association with Tod Browning’s Freaks, which the script references most directly by recreating the familiar “one of us” party scene, suggests a horror heritage that, at the very least, provides a marketing tool for the film to hang its hat on. Unlike most Hammer productions, The Freakmaker sets up shop in present-day London, even though a major plot device (the traveling freakshow) would seem more at home in a period setting. After a trip to this shady circus, a foursome of university students notice that their social gatherings always seems to result in one of them going missing. The culprit is their very own professor (Pleasance) and his assistant (Baker), the grotesquely deformed circus owner, who are performing a series of heretical experiments in the hope of creating a race of plant men (or women, depending on which unwilling victim is currently available). The moderately successful result is a man-eating Venus flytrap which feeds on helpless hobos, but retains enough humanity to spare its classroom chums. The film begins with an abstract montage of time-lapse plant growth, roots probing and leaves unfolding with an eerie sense of animation set to a menacing fusion jazz score (which also pops up in various forms during the murder sequences). Donald Pleasance’s familiar voice then narrates a brief history of unusual plant species that trap, kill and digest their prey, used to set up the film’s effective gross out finale. It’s an odd but attention-getting way to kick off a film that for much of its running time is otherwise fairly predictable. The high points of The Freakmaker revolve around Tom Baker and his less-than-sympathetic characterization of “The Ugliest Man in the World.” His victim-procuring services are conditional upon the promise of a life-changing operation that will return his face to some semblance of normalcy. The relationship is identical that of Lugosi and Karloff in 1935’s The Raven, but unlike Karloff, who eventually got to play the good guy, Baker’s portrayal of Lynch is of a man despised and hated by both normals and freaks alike. Yet he is still the “star” of the production, costumed mysteriously in a cowl and cloak reminiscent of comic-strip serials like The Shadow. It’s a tribute to Baker that his performance, even though disguised under full make-up, is the most significant (and still somewhat touching) in the film. The monster effects, immortalized in the glossy horror photo books by Alan Frank, are quick and obviously underfunded when viewed in live-action, but still show a spark of imagination. However, it’s the freaks themselves – performers like Popeye (whose eyes bulge hideously out of his skull) and the Alligator Woman (who actually suffered from a rare skin condition) - that are rather shamelessly displayed as the film’s primary special effect. Cardiff imbues them with as much humanity as he can – and indeed, they are the true heroes of the picture – but their onstage introductions amount to pure exploitation for cinematic shocks. Still, isn’t that what we’re here for? Cardiff’s participation might throw a true cinephile off track, but make no mistake; The Freakmaker is cheesy ‘70s horror through and through. It’s clumsily paced, often atrociously acted (ex-sword and sandal star Brad Harris is the chief offender) and patently ridiculous, all of which adds rather than subtracts from one’s enjoyment of the film. Fans of that sort of entertainment have begun chanting already. One of us, indeed! THE FEATURES: Subversive Cinema has polished this bizarre production to an unexpected shine. The colors are beyond vibrant, and while there are still a few pops and specks, the overall image is near perfect. The audio is presented in the original mono or an enhanced 2.0 stereo mix. Count on this being your reference copy of The Freakmaker for...well, forever! Producer Norm Hill has also accomplished what some might have thought impossible: securing the participation of 91-year-old director Jack Cardiff in not only a sit-down interview but a commentary track, to boot. You might expect someone of that age to suffer from too many “senior moments,” but Cardiff is more lucid and well-spoken than a man half his age, explaining his initial attraction to the material as well as his embarrassment filming the freakshow scenes. Producer Robert Weinbach and actor Brad Harris also appear in the 30-min. documentary as well as a second commentary track. Weinbach is the best source for facts about the film, explaining every aspect of the production in detail with Hill serving as moderator. Text Bios, Trailers (from The Freakmaker and other Subversive titles) and a Still Gallery of original lobby cards are also included. Some of those same lobby cards also show up as extras in the clever DVD packaging, which also contains a fold-out poster of the film.