Freaked

Freaked is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Tom Stern and Alex Winter, both of whom wrote the screenplay with Tim Burns. Winter also starred in the lead role. Both were involved in the short-lived MTV sketch comedy show The Idiot Box, and Freaked retains the same brand of surreal humour seen in the show. Freaked was Alex Winter's last feature film before he shifted to cameo and television films for many years until 2013's Grand Piano. Originally conceived as a low-budget horror film featuring the band Butthole Surfers, Freaked went through a number of rewrites, eventually developing into a black comedy set within a sideshow, which was picked up by 20th Century Fox for a feature film. After several poor test screenings and a change in studio executives who then found the film too "weird", the film was pulled from a wide distribution (except for Australia and Japan) and only played on two screens in the United States. Plot In an interview with former child star Ricky Coogin, he recounts his bizarre journey that began with him accepting an endorsement contract from the questionable mega-corporation E.E.S. to promote the toxic fertilizer "Zygrot 24" in South America. Ricky, initially hesitant, was lured by a substantial sum of money from the CEO. Accompanied by his friend Ernie, they embarked on a fateful journey to the South American town of "Santa Flan." During their flight, Ricky encountered a fan named Stuey Gluck, who pleaded with Ricky not to promote Zygrot 24, but tragically fell out of the plane by accident. Upon arriving in Santa Flan, Ricky and Ernie found themselves amidst a group of environmentalists protesting both Zygrot 24 and Ricky's involvement. Ricky, smitten by Julie, one of the environmentalists, and Ernie deceived her into believing they were environmentalists as well. Ricky posed as a severely injured accident victim, and Julie agreed to join them on a protest trip. However, their true identities were eventually revealed, and they became stuck together. On a detour to Freek Land, a local freak show, they encountered the demented proprietor and mad scientist Elijah C. Skuggs, who transformed Julie and Ernie into conjoined twins and Ricky into a hideous green mutation.