Will ‘Freaks’ Get A Sequel? Sci-Fi Movie Trends On Netflix

Audiences are discovering “Freaks” months after its initial release. The sci-fi/horror movie hit theaters last fall, pulling in less than $340,000 worldwide, but Netflix has brought it to a much wider audience. It was the seventh trending title in the Top 10 on Tuesday, and new fans might be wondering about a sequel.

According to directors Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky, the low budget for “Freaks” contributed to the creativity so they aren’t sure a bigger sequel would be the same. They have also said they weren’t trying to craft the beginning of a franchise.

“People have asked, did you mean the ending to feel like a sequel hook? To us, we didn't think of it that way at all,” Stein admitted to the Hollywood Reporter in September.

However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to dive back in if audiences want it. It sounds like they are willing to work on a sequel if audiences want one.

“When we thought of this world, we had lots of ideas for other stories that could happen in this world. And we told one slice of it, focused on this particular family,” Stein added. “If people go see it and there's a demand for more stories in the Freaks world, we'd love to get back into it. But at the same time, the constraints, the budget constraints creates smarter storytelling. We'd never want to lose that and fall into the trap of being too comfortable.”

The exact budget for “Freaks” isn’t known, but rights were bought after a Toronto International Film Festival screening for a reported $2 million. Stein and Lipovsky have said that stars Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern accepted very small paychecks, and the movie even took props and costumes from Disney Channel’s “Mech-X4,” which the directors had been working on before the movie. The show was canceled and producers allowed them to take anything from sets to office chairs.

The film is best seen unspoiled. The vague premise is that a little girl, 7-year-old Chloe (Lexy Kolker), is hidden away from society by her father (Emile Hirsch). When her world starts expanding, everything changes. The R-rated film was released in theaters last fall and hit home release in December, but Netflix added the movie on March 3. It has been trending in the Top 10 section for a week.