The horror genre has been around since the dawn of cinema. All the way back since the days of silent movies, audiences have been fascinated by sitting in the dark and getting scared. However, over the decades, the genre has slowly morphed and evolved, and the original style of horror film has been lost. However, that could all be set to change thanks to one of this year’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest titles, The Freaks of Fancy.
Inspired by a 1960s radio play called ‘The Weekend’, writer and director Elliott Léon takes the audience back to a bygone era of filmmaking. Set in the year 1972, The Freaks of Fancy finds four medical graduates invited to the remote island home of their mentor for the weekend. What they believe to be a relaxing reward for their hard work is soon revealed to be more sinister in nature. The story blends elements of an Agatha Christie mystery with 1950’s mad science to create a strange hybrid that keeps the viewer guessing.
Not content to merely tell a story that could easily have been lifted from the early era of cinema, Léon has dedicated himself to creating a film that looks to be from the era too. Léon has studied that first flurry of genre cinema, and has painstakingly recreated the aesthetic. His hard work has paid off, as The Freaks of Fancy could easily be confused for a film lost from the time. Léon wields the sepia, blue, and green hues deftly, creating visuals that transport the viewer back to the bygone era. The cast compliment the visuals by channelling their inner 1920s performers. Acting was more exaggerated and enunciated back then, and the relatively young cast captures that essence wonderfully.
Léon replicates old school cinema in every detail, including the pace. This move will likely frustrate those used to more modern films, but will delight those with affectations for films from the 1920s. Not every film has to be a rollercoaster of frights, or feature showers of gore. Sometimes less is more, and Léon leans into this well, and rewards those that commit to The Freaks of Fancy with a delightfully wicked climax. The Freaks of Fancy might never satisfy the gore hounds or those in search of cheap thrills, it will however enchant those craving a slice of nostalgia and a journey back to the first days of a beloved genre.
The Freaks of Fancy
Summary
Elliott Léon’s commitment and dedication to creating a film that pays respect to a bygone era, is successful enough to feel authentic from the time period.
The Freaks of Fancy was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024.
