Freaks | Dracula

Simply one of the most notorious films ever produced by Hollywood, Freaks follows the members of a traveling circus, with many real-life sideshow performers in the cast. Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) is a conniving trapeze artist who seduces Hans (Harry Earles, known for his appearance as one of the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz) into marriage to steal his large inheritance. When his friends learn about her scheme, it leads to one of the most horrific endings in cinema history. Heavily edited and banned in many areas for decades, the film is often praised for portraying the sideshow performers’ humanity. (64 mins., DCP)

Not the first vampire film by any means, but perhaps the most influential to this day, Dracula stars Bela Lugosi as the infamous Count, maintaining his boyish good looks by feeding on the blood of his victims. The success of Dracula launched a series of horror films at Universal that all became icons of the genre. (75 mins., 35mm)

See the entire The Sound of Screaming: Early Horror Films lineup.

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Freaks, courtesy of Warner Bros; Dracula, courtesy of Universal Pictures.