Label: 101 Films
Region Code: B
Rating: Cert 12
Duration: 83 Minutes
Audio: Uncompressed English PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English and Spanish Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Byron Mabe
Cast: Claire Brennen, Lynn Courtney, Lee Raymond, Bill McKinney, Claude Earl Jones, Ben Moore, Madame Lee, Marsha Drake, Felix Silla
She Freak (1967) was directed by Byron Mabe (The Bushwhacker) for infamous producer David F. Friedman - it's a pretty shameless update of Todd Browning's carnie nightmare Freaks, it's a bit of oddity in that it's pretty much a kiddie-friendly flick, which was not the norm for either Mabe or Friedman. In it a sexy and sassy greasy-spoon diner waitress by the name of Jade Cochran (Claire Brennen, Maneater) tells her leering boss (Claude Earl Jones, Bride of Re-Animator) to kiss her grits, quitting her dead-end diner job and taking up with a traveling carnival where she... again waits on tables. She makes friends with a sparkplug of cabaret dancer named Moon (Lynn Courtney) and takes not of the hunky Ferris wheel operator Blackie (Lee Raymond, who would go onto direct The Adult Version of Jekyll & Hide for Friedman). Moon warns her to steer clear of Blackie but the Jade's libido says otherwise, he just seems to scratch her itch. Jade also catches the eye of well-to-do midway manager Steve St. John (Bill McKinney, Cleopatra Jones) and she immediately sees him as her way to the good life. She takes up with him, marrying him in short order, but still sees Blackie on the side, which leads to some murderous mayhem that ends with her inheriting the carnival. Once she is in control her true self comes out, but the carnies don't take too kindly to her mistreatment and devise a hideous revenge with a not-that-shocking finale if you've seen any of the posters or artwork for this one. The real shocker is how cruddy it looks, but monster make-up effects which were done by Harry Thomas (Plan 9 from Outer Space) are still sort of retro-schlock awesome.
The most shocking aspect of the film is actually how kiddie friendly the film is, there's no nudity (just some tame clothed cabaret), the sex is implied, and the only bits of gore are a screwdriver stabbed through a hand and a bloody knife. The monster make-up effects are a bit too goofy to be considered gory or scary, but it still packs in the entertainment value - it's something alright. My favorite things about this one are what I would say is a pretty great performance from Claire Brennen as the headstrong and sexy femme fatale, Friedman's cameo as a carnival barker, and the ripped-off from Freaks finale with some nightmarish lighting and a fun make-up FX punchline, it's a solidly entertaining watch, which might make a fun double-feature with Al Adamson's similarly kiddie friendly carny flick Carnival Magic.
Audio/Video: She Freak (1967) arrives on region B locked Blu-ray in the UK from 101 Films, licensed from AGFA who released a US Blu-ray back in 2021. This is the same 4k scan of the 35mm original camera negative from that release, and it really is a wonderful looking presentation with good looking grain levels, vibrant colors and pleasing definition in the detail. The colors are of the carnival are outstanding, it's quite a colorful film, which I was not expecting. A few momentary rough spots have some flicker, density fluctuations, and some temporary softness, but largely this is a pretty grand looking affair from start to finish. Audio comes by way of uncompressed English PCM 1.0 mono with optional English subtitles. It's largely free of hiss and distortion with cleanly delivered dialogue and the score from William Castleman sounds pretty great as well, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the score for this one, it's solid.
Extras kick off with a vintage archival Audio Commentary with producer David F. Friedman and Something Weird founder Mike Vraney, both of who have sadly passed to that great midway in the sky in recent years. It's a solid track as Friedman talks about growing up working around carnivals, his passion to make a carnie movie, seeing Todd Browning's Freaks as a kid and impression that it left on him, and how he went about creating a 60's update of it with this film, and of course telling some great stories about the cast and making of the film, it's a terrific listen.
We also get 8-min Asylum of the Insane: She Freak Inserts preserved in 2K, a weird reel of 3D footage of a girl swinging and some other mundane every day activities before leading up to a murder scene. Eight more minutes of weirdness come by way of Vintage Shorts from the Carnival Midway which is exactly what it advertises, vintage black and white footage of circus freakshows showcasing human oddities and much much more.
A very nice addition is the 97-min The Laughing, Leering, Lampooning Lures if David F. Friedman, a feature-length HD compilation of trailers from the Something Weird vaults including some rough, rowdy and kinky movies that are sure to titillate. We get The Defilers, The Notorious Daughter Of Fanny Hill, A Smell Of Honey A Swallow Of Brine, She Freak, The Acid Eaters, The Lustful Turk, The Head Mistress, Brand Of Shame, A Sweet Sickness, The Master Piece, The Pick-Up, Thar She Blows, The Ramrodder, Starlet, Love Camp 7, , Trader Hornee, The Long Swift Sword Of Siegfried, The Suckers, Jekyll And Hyde and The Erotic Adventures Of Zorro - it's quite something. There's also a 4-min photo gallery showcasing the She Freak make-up process as well as some stills. Packaging extras include a booklet with an essay by Something Weird’s Lisa Petrucci plus a reversible sleeve of artwork.
Special Features
- 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative
- Archival commentary with producer David F. Friedman and Something Weird founder Mike Vraney
- Asylum of the Insane: She Freak inserts preserved in 2K (8 min)
- The Laughing, Leering, Lampooning Lures if David F. Friedman: a feature-length compilation of trailers from the Something Weird vaults, newly preserved in 2K (97 mins)
- Vintage shorts from the carnival midway (8 min)
- Promotional Photo Gallery (4 min)
- Booklet with essay by Something Weird’s Lisa Petrucci
- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork
- 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative
- Archival commentary with producer David F. Friedman and Something Weird founder Mike Vraney
- Asylum of the Insane: She Freak inserts preserved in 2K (8 min)
- The Laughing, Leering, Lampooning Lures if David F. Friedman: a feature-length compilation of trailers from the Something Weird vaults, newly preserved in 2K (97 mins)
- Vintage shorts from the carnival midway (8 min)
- Promotional Photo Gallery (4 min)
- Booklet with essay by Something Weird’s Lisa Petrucci
- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork
Screenshots from the 101 Films Blu-ray:
