Speaking of it being amazing that the film was even made, I always found the sexual subtext (present in almost every scene in the movie) to be amazing, in itself.
Sometimes its more subdued, other times much more explicit. When the trapeze artist calls over the midget to massage her shoulder, she suddenly grabs and yanks her collar down and I swear, every time I see that I expect her to expose her bosom. Of course, she didn’t, but that’s just one example of how present sex is throughout that film.
I also never understood why that catepillar/snake man comes after the bad guy with the knife in his mouth. It’s a haunting and scary image, sure, but what’s he going to do? Poke at his ankle? I’d go for a field goal and send him dozens of yards away!
I didn't get it either until I saw that their was another ending to the movie that was not shown due to public outrage.
The film's original ending showed Hercules singing soprano in Madame Tetralini's new sideshow because he has been castrated by the freaks. After intensely negative reaction by preview audiences, this scene was cut.
I could never get how they changed the woman into a chicken.
That scene was done in an old Lon Chaney film, but I cant recall the title.
Todd Browning was concerned about it too.
The on-screen romance between Hans and Frieda was very subdued because the roles were being played by real life brother and sister Harry Earles and Daisy Earles.