18: Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Freak Shows and Old Photographs

DSRA

October 2, 2016

Fresh on the heels of its opening weekend, Kyle Willoughby and Claire White are talking about Tim Burton’s latest film. Based on the popular YA fantasy book by Ransom Riggs, the story focuses on a group of “peculiar” children, with special abilities, and their magical sanctuary. In another era they were called “freaks”. Claire gives an overview of the American and English freak show, and explains why working for a man like P.T. Barnum, may have been the best option. Kyle describes how the author’s strange hobby of collecting antique children’s photos led him to write a bestseller, and the particular aesthetic that director Tim Burton applies to the story. Our hosts conclude with their thoughts on the book, the film, and where the two diverge.