Freaks

A beautiful and conniving trapeze artist named Cleopatra seduces a carnival sideshow dwarf named Hans after learning of his large inheritance. This is much to the chagrin of Frieda, his fiancée, also a dwarf. Cleopatra also conspires with circus strongman Hercules to kill Hans so she will inherit his wealth. Meanwhile, other romances flourish among the sideshow performers: the Bearded Lady, who is in love with the Human Skeleton, gives birth to their daughter. The news is spread among the friends by the Stork Woman. Additionally, Violet, a conjoined twin whose sister Daisy is married to Roscoe, the stuttering circus clown, becomes engaged to the circus's owner.
Hans, enamored with Cleopatra, ultimately marries her. At their wedding Cleopatra begins poisoning Hans's wine but drunkenly kisses Hercules in front of Hans, revealing her affair, as the other entertainers are busy celebrating. Dwarf Angeleno leads the "freaks" in an initiation ceremony for Cleopatra, to Hercules's amusement. When he offers her the ceremonial wine cup, Cleopatra refuses it in disgust and drives them away, then berates Hans and drunkenly parades him around on her shoulders like a child. Hans realizes that he has been played for a fool and rejects Cleopatra's attempts to apologize, but then he falls ill from the poison. While bedridden, Hans apologizes to Cleopatra and appears to take the poisoned medicine that she is giving him, but secretly plots with the other entertainers.
In the film's climax, Hans confronts Cleopatra with three of the entertainers as backup thugs. However, Hans's circus wagon is overturned in a storm, giving Cleopatra the chance to escape into the forest, closely pursued by them. At the same time, Hercules goes to kill sea lion trainer Venus for knowing about the plot. Venus's boyfriend, Phroso the clown, attempts to stop Hercules but is nearly killed before the rest of them intervene and injure Hercules, saving Phroso. They all pursue an injured Hercules.
The freaks capture Cleopatra. Some time later, she performs at a carnival as a grotesque "human duck", with her legs cut off and one eye gouged out. In the original version of the film, Hercules also appears afterward as a castrato singer.
While some versions end on Cleopatra as the human duck, another ending shows Hans, now living in a mansion from his inheritance and still humiliated, visited by Phroso, Venus and Frieda. Frieda tells Hans she knows he just wanted to demand the bottle of poison from Cleopatra, not to mutilate her, and not to blame himself for what happened; and that she still loves him. The two then share a heartwarming hug.