Dir. Tom Stern, Alex Winter  |  USA  |  1993  |  86 mins  |  30th Anniversary Screening

Former child-star and vacuous Hollywood celebrity Ricky Coogan (Alex Winter) will do almost anything for a buck and so when he is approached by the EES Corporation to be the face of ‘Zygrot 24’ - a highly dangerous toxic fertiliser - in South America, he jumps at the chance to sign on the dotted line.  Coogan quickly jets off to the small South American town of Santa Flan, where he and his friend Ernie cross paths with Julie, an environmentalist who is protesting his arrival and his endorsement of the toxic chemical. The trio eventually end up at Freek Land, a bizarre attraction run by mad scientist Elijah C. Skuggs (Randy Quaid) who they soon discover is using Zygrot 24 to create an ever-increasing parade of mutants to perform in his sideshow. Now a hideous half-man half-beast, Coogan must band together with the other mutants to find a way for them to escape the clutches of the deranged scientist before it’s too late.

Thirty years after its initial release, we’re thrilled to bring this criminally-underseen cult classic back to the big screen. Initially conceived as a low-budget collaboration with Texan alternative rockers Butthole Surfers , Freaked became a bigger budget affair at 20th Century Fox, attracting a dazzling array of big-name cameos and appearances, while the production itself ended up utilising three separate companies to cope with the film’s extensive creature effects, bringing together the legendary talents of Screaming Mad George, Tony Gardner and Steve Johnson.

Freaked is a frenetic and relentlessly funny thrill-ride that stands tall as one of the best cult films of its decade. It may not have found its audience back in ‘93, but there’s no time like the present to redress that balance.

We are delighted to welcome director and actor Alex Winter for a Zoom Q&A after the film.

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Screening with POOL PARTY

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