Freak Babylon: An Illustrated History of Teratology & Freakshows

Freak Babylon is a startling, disturbing documentary of the history of one of mankind’s most fascinating sciences--Teratology, the classification of human anomalies--and its dubious cultural correlative, the Freakshow, from ancient times to the present day. Featuring over 200 rare and intriguing photos of human anomalies, and covering the areas of scientific research, sideshows, cinema and body modification, it also includes a look at the controversial 1932 horror film Freaks, and looks at some famous case histories such as the Elephant Man and Johnny Eck. Freak Babylon shows how medical research and exploitation are often interlinked, and poses the question whether new sciences of cloning and genetic engineering are taking us back to the dark days of man-made freaks.