The Grand Illusion

The Grand Illusion and Central Cinema welcome you to freek land. Roll up, roll up, sad normies! Feast your trembling eyes on the bonkers spectacle that is FREAKED, the delightfully absurd 1993 cult comedy from the mischievous minds of Alex Winter (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) and Tom Stern (Idiot Box).

In this gleefully unhinged satire of celebrity culture and corporate greed, Winter stars as Ricky Coogan, a washed-up child actor who agrees to endorse a toxic product and is transformed into a carnival “freak” by the deranged tycoon Elijah C. Skuggs. The inspired ensemble includes an early fan-favorite appearance by Norm Macdonald and an uncredited, nearly unrecognizable Keanu Reeves under heavy prosthetics, alongside Brooke Shields, Bobcat Goldthwait, William Sadler, Deep Roy, Morgan Fairchild, and even Mr. T.

Wildly underappreciated upon its initial release by 20^th Century Fox, the film found new life on VHS and late-night cable, earning a devoted following for its anarchic humor, elaborate practical effects by the Chiodo Brothers (Killer Klowns from Outer Space), and fearless weirdness. Decades later, FREAKED stands as a testament to unfiltered creative ambition within the studio system. Experience this magnificently strange cult classic in a glorious new restoration.

“So overflowing with anarchic invention that it holds up against such certified classics as Duck Soup and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Glenn Kenny, Entertainment Weekly

“Attempting to compare Freaked to any other movie would prove an exercise in futility.” Film Threat