AllMovie

In the 19th century, malformed or deformed people were the object of morbid curiosity in traveling sideshows and circuses. In the 20th century they became fodder for Hollywood horror movies. Part of the 13-episode 100 Years of Horror series directed by Ted Newsom and hosted by horror movie star Christopher Lee, 100 Years of Horror: Mutants and Freaks reviews the many "mutant" and "freak" characters that have suffered on the silver screen from the earliest days of moviemaking. The program features clips from many films, among them The Creature From the Black Lagoon (Amazonian Gill-Man); The Little Shop of Horrors (man-eating flower); Freaks (the aforementioned sideshow denizens); and The Day the Earth Stood Still (Gort, the Robot). The program includes interviews with some of the filmmakers, behind-the-scenes stories, still photos, and rare film footage.