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Loose film critic and host of Marvelous! Or, the Death of Cinema podcast Nicole Veneto joins from Boston to discuss Alex Winter and Tom Stern's irreverent, gag-filled 1993 monster comedy 'Freaked'. The film is a genuine cult classic that was greelit, following the success of the Bill & Ted films and Winter and Stern's short-lived MTV program 'Idiot Box', with an impressive $12 million budget and then quickly killed by 20th Century Fox after a change in management.
We discuss the film's unique cacophony of styles, taking inspiration from a number of cultural objects including Zucker Brothers comedies, punk rock legends Butthole Surfers, classic beach party films, and The Evil Dead movies. Then we praise the legendary team of practical special effects and makeup artists (including veterans of John Carpenter films like 'Big Trouble in Little China' and Chuck Russell's classic 1988 remake of 'The Blob') who brought the hilarious cast of freaks to life. Finally, we detail the executive decisions that very nearly railroaded 'Freaked' out of existence, and eulogize the brief moment in time when big studio money was willing to gamble on spectacular, impractical filmmaking and craft.
Watch & Download 'Freaked' at the Internet Archive.
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