With the proliferation of superhero films in the film industry today, there’s a desire for more unique takes on the genre. No longer is it okay to just give your run of the mill film about superpowered individuals. We’ve seen it all before. But last year, two films snuck out and surprised everyone on the festival circuit that took the idea of superpowers and gave it a whole new sheen. The first was “Fast Color,” which finally arrived in theaters this spring. And the other is “Freaks,” which debuted at last year’s TIFF and will finally debut later this summer.
“Freaks” tells the story of a father and daughter that are secluded in a home, worried about what might happen if they leave. In this world, superpowered individuals, called Freaks, are being locked up by the government because of their inherent danger to regular people. Of course, as you might imagine, things get thrown into chaos when the little girl decides to leave the house to find her missing mother.
You wouldn’t be wrong if you thought the premise sounds an awful lot like the ‘X-Men.’ In fact, the idea of superpowered people being hated and feared by regular humans is a core concept of the Marvel superhero team. However, in “Freaks,” the concept is taken to the extreme, with a much more adult spin.
The cast includes Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Grace Park, Amanda Crew, and Lexy Kolker. “Freaks” comes from the filmmaking duo of Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, who also released the recent “Kim Possible” live-action film.
“Freaks” will have a special screening at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con before it hits theaters on August 23 September 13.
Here’s the synopsis:
Kept locked inside the house by her father, 7-year-old Chloe lives in fear and fascination of the outside world, where Abnormals create a constant threat – or so she believes. When a mysterious stranger offers her a glimpse of what’s really happening outside, Chloe soon finds that while the truth isn’t so simple, the danger is very real.
