PS: I think Alex said it very well. I don't think there is a thing I can add. Except this- for the past 12 years I have been living a double life. One persona is the Tom Stern you all know and love- family man, pillar of the community... the other is a drooling degenerate inexplicably obsessed with my huge collection of used chewing gum. There, I said it. Now please enjoy the film.

-Tom Stern

"Freaked" has become the epitome of the modern cult movie. "Cult-comedy" might be the best term to describe it. It is hilarious, revolting, bizarre, full of famous actors in cameos and rarely seen by anyone outside the filmmakers' immediate family. When "Freaked" was released in 1994, the trailer proudly announced "Freaked: Coming soon to... a theatre". This may have been a bit premature as "Freaked" was barely even given a proper video release. That may be why you have never heard of this little comedic gem. Luckily, and thankfully, Anchor Bay Entertainment has rescued this film, like many others, from obscurity and is giving the Freaked DVD release deluxe treatment as well.

"Freaked", formerly "Freekz", fomerly "Hideous Mutant Freekz", formerly "Very Special People", etc. is the brainchild of filmmakers Alex Winter (of "Bill and Ted" fame) and Tom J. Stern (of TBS "Monkey-ed Movies" fame). Together with co-writer Tim Burns, they crafted this beautiful ode to those shunned by society, those looked down upon by "normal" people, those forced to eek out their livings by being publicly humiliated as sideshow oddities: I am referring to, of course, former child actors. "Freaked" was originally going to be a low budget indie cult film centering around the band, the Butthole Surfers. However, 20th Century FOX became involved and decided to give Alex and Tom $10+ Million provided they do a rewrite. Thus, the Buttholes were out (mostly) and "Freaked" was born in its present incarnation.

"Freaked" is the story of former child actor Ricky Coogin (played by Alex) who is hired by the Everything Except Shoes Corporation (EES) to pitch a new brand of fertilizer, "Zygrot 24" in the country Santa Flan (named for the patron saint of creamy desserts). Coogin along with his friend Ernie (played by Michael Stoyanov, of "Blossom" fame) and naïve environmentalist/ potential girlfriend Julie (played by Megan Ward) decide to take a detour to visit "Freekland", a sideshow run by the demented redneck Elijah C. Skuggs (played brilliantly! by Randy Quaid). Little do they know they are destined to become his latest attractions. To give some idea as to the extent of Skuggs madness, he reveals that he can "look at a guy like Kevin Costner and see a giant peach grub who can fart the Blue Danube". Skuggs proceeds to transform the three "friends" into the things they hate the most. This is where the film really kicks in full force. Coogin and the others meet up with the other freaks who are imprisoned at "Freekland". These include Rosie the Pinhead, Cowboy (Cow-boy, get it?), Sockhead (voiced by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait), The Hideous Frogman, The Worm, The Bearded Lady (ever wonder what Mr. T looks like in drag? Here's your chance!), the Eternal Flame and Ortiz the Dog-Boy (played by Keanu Reeves in an uncredited - and unforgettable - cameo as the leader of the freaks). The make up effects by Screaming Mad George are truly amazing, and the film just continues to become darker and more bizarre. First Ricky and his friends try to make their escape as milkmen (12 milkmen on the same route is possible, 13 is just silly) but are then captured by two rastafarian eyeballs with machine guns. On the evening Ricky Coogin gets turned into an evil superfreak they defeat Elijah C. Skuggs once and for all.

If you like your entertainment a little "left of center" and your music loud then this is the film for you. The over-the-top visuals are accompanied by songs by Blind Idiot God, Henry Rollins, the Butthole Surfers and even features a Parliament/ Funkadelic reunion over the end credits.

The first disc contains the following extras:

The second disc includes:

• FREAKED: The Reehersel Version, a full-length cast rehearsal of the film, including Keanu Reeves sans Dog Boy makeup, with scenes and dialogue that never made it into the final film
• There Are No Weirdos Here, early script readings of selected scenes, featuring actors Winter, Megan Ward, Michael Stoyanov, Derek McGrath, Lee Arenberg and John Hawkes
• It’s the Troll, terrifying footage of young actor Alex Zuckerman developing the character of Stuey Gluck
• Under Construkshen, behind-the-scenes video showing the creation of the Freek Land set
• Behold…The Beast Boy, footage of Winter’s makeup transformation into a hideous mutant freek
• Two short films by Winter and Stern, SQUEAL OF DEATH and THE NYU SIGHT AND SOUND PROJECT