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Freaky Fred
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Released
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May 21, 2020
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Running time
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14:51
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Link
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Video
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Doug: By popular demand, this is "Freaky Fred" from Courage the Cowardly Dog. A show about a dog who is cowardly...named Courage. I didn't see every cartoon!
(The show's title card is shown: "Freaky Fred".)
Doug (vo): "Freaky Fred" premiered on Cartoon Network December 3rd, 1999.
Doug: And while I didn't watch much of Courage, I think I was going into college at the time. I've seen this episode because it was recommended so much, and I can say it's definitely worth analyzing. Let's take a look.
(We are shown the TV show's opening sequence.)
Nowhere Newsman: We interrupt this program...
Doug (vo): The initial idea of this show is...
Doug: ...nothing that new. It's about a dog who always comes across these supernatural elements.
Doug (vo): He lives with a farmer and his wife who he always tries to save from these supernatural elements...
Doug: ...and they are never aware that anything is wrong.
Doug (vo): This is a scenario that's been done a lot. It's been done on Buttons and Mindy, it's been done on Looney Tunes.
Doug: Probably the the most similar is Eek the Cat...
Doug (vo): ...where it's a little purple cat whose owners and friends are always in trouble, and they're never aware of it. And he always saves the day, and he always ends up getting hurt.
Doug: Very similar, but they're still pretty different. They have different feels to them.
Doug (vo): This has more of a dark, ghoulish side...
Doug: ...where Eek was more Ren and Stimpy eyes popping out and that kind of stuff. But if you like Courage, check out Eek. You might like it.
Fred: (narrating) Hello, new friend. My name is Fred.
Doug: I like the shadow here because the rest of the bus should be in shadow or...maybe even darker than him. But he's not.
Doug (vo): And this is that flexible lighting I'm always talking about.
Doug: You see something like this in Lord of the Rings with the Ringwraiths...
(A shot of the Nazgul -- the Ringwraiths -- is shown.)
Doug (vo): ...where their faces are always covered, always in shadow, and that's just not possible. At some point, light would hit 'em and you would see them.
Doug: But for the uncomfortableness not seeing the entire figure, they keep it entirely in shadow, and this is how we start here. And I think by having it...
Doug (vo): ...where the bus isn't as dark, I think it kind of adds an extra element of comedy...
Doug: ...because he's just silhouetted already. Even though it doesn't make a whole ton of sense, that's just kind of the menacing nature of what we're already being introduced to.
Fred: (narrating) The words you hear are in my head. I say, I said my name is Fred.
Doug: So, I'm gonna dive into this more, but I want you to keep in mind whether you've seen this or haven't seen this. A lot of people say this is the scariest episode of Courage, and "Freaky Fred" is terrifying. But if you really think about it, he doesn't do anything that menacing.
Doug (vo): And it's not even really that dark.
Doug: When you really think about what happens in this cartoon it's not that dark. It's all about the presentation.
Doug (vo): The way it starts off immediately with the way he speaks is different from how everybody else speaks. Everyone talks pretty normal in this, but he, off the bat, is speaking in rhyme. He's speaking in this very elegant way...
Doug: ...but it's also something you don't hear very often.
Fred: (narrating) The story I'm about to tell, I tell you, I will tell it well. And just how I've been... naughty.
Doug: He always emphasizes the word "naughty". And the reason that's so scary is because he's speaking in a certain way, but that one word special delight to him. And he says it the same way every time, because he takes delight in stretching that word out because it brings him such joy. And that's a very alarming thing.
Muriel: I can't wait for that wee lad Fred to arrive!
Doug: An interesting element looking back at some of these Courage cartoons is that it's one of the few bits of entertainment where it's -- it's got a lot of shadows, but it's got a lot of color, too.
Doug (vo): And not just color. like very vibrant colors. Off the top of my head, I can't think of many forms of entertainment that can combine them so well.
Doug: Off the top of my head, I'm thinking...
(Stills of the following are shown...)
Doug (vo): Dick Tracy and Suspiria did that...
Doug: ...and one of the reasons you don't see it often is it's very tricky to do, because it doesn't make a lot of sense. Usually, when you have a lot of shadows, the environment is very dark. It's not vibrant, so you usually see sort of a lot of shadows and maybe one color, like...
(Stills from Sleepy Hollow and The Matrix are shown.)
Doug (vo): ...blue or green or something like that.
Doug: But because it's a cartoon, you can get away, like I say, with that flexible lighting.
Doug (vo): So, it's really cool to see, especially in something...
Doug: ...that's as old as this is.
Fred: (narrating) My heart beat fast as I drew near. I felt so nice – and naughty.
Doug: One of the reasons I think people do find this so scary is 'cause there's so much buildup to it. It Isn't just the fact that he speaks weird and he looks weird. Uh, there -- he hasn't even met anyone yet. He hasn't even done anything...
Doug (vo): ...on this bus. It's just him talking to himself...
Doug: ...and this is what he's like by himself. It's terrifying to think what he's like around other people, and they set up right away he's a barber. And even though it's very unlikely kids have seen...
(Shown is the artwork from the original production of...)
Doug (vo): ...Sweeney Todd, I think there's already a kind of creepy idea about barbers.
Doug: That there are people with scissors and you're in a chair, and you just have to sort of let them do what they do. If they wanted to kill you, they could. So, I think that's why a lot of kids are kind of scared of barbers sometimes. I think this taps into a fear that is both...creepy, but kind of funny, too.
(Courage imagines all types of monsters waiting at the front door of the farmhouse.)
Doug (vo): I don't know if this is a thing anymore...
Doug: ...but hating mimes used to be a really popular joke, especially in the 90's. Like, everybody just hated mimes, I guess. Today would be...
Doug (vo): ...living statues, which is kind of the same thing. But mimes were always sort of the go-to.
Doug: "Oh no! Not them!" So if you see them in older media today, it was kind of a big running joke back then.
Fred: (narrating) I thought just how excited they must be that I would come today.
Doug: The way he speaks -- I don't know if this is intentional, but it's eerily similar to an Edgar Allan Poe character. I very much think Tell-Tale Heart, where, again, it's mostly just this person talking, saying what happened...
Doug (vo): ...and it's that very similar kind of both turmoil and joy at the same time.
Doug: One of my favorite things: Courage is on the stairs, and when his eyes look...
Doug (vo): ...you hear a creak.
(A creaking sound is heard as Fred glances at Courage on the stairs.)
Doug (vo): Is that the stairs or his [Fred's] eyes creaking?
Doug: I'd like to think it's his [Fred's] eyes creaking, but, again, very cleverly, I don't think they're entirely letting you know. It could be either.
Fred: (narrating) A doggy dog. Like dog he smelled. D-O-G is what he spelled.
Doug (vo): I also like...
Doug: ...his rhymes aren't very good. (snickers) Like, why is he speaking in this way? But you know why, don't you? It brings him joy. For whatever reason, it brings him joy.
Doug (vo): There's lots of characters that have big smiles and are fine. You can see people with a very comforting smile...
Doug: ...a welcoming smile. But, with "Freaky Fred", I think it's the eyes.
Doug (vo): You can pretty much take any comforting smile, but if you put intense eyes on it, it'll immediately become scary...
Doug: ...and I think any good cartoonist animator knows it's all in the eyes. The eyes are all you need to convey something, and I think even though the smile...
Doug (vo): ...is great, too, and exaggerated...
Doug: ...if those eyes weren't there, it wouldn't be nearly as creepy.
Muriel: Would you like to freshen up?
Fred: Yes. Been quite a trip, it has.
Doug (vo): For a show that very much likes to show...
Doug: ...creepy bugs and monsters and stuff like that, again, I think for a character that's just...
Doug (vo): ...smiling to leave the biggest impact says something.
Doug: Also, the fact his expression never changes. It's always that smile.
Doug (vo): There's two terrifying things you can do with that: You can either have him keep that same expression...
Doug: ...throughout the whole thing, which I'm pretty sure they do in this, or they can have it change at one point.
Doug (vo): Imagine if he suddenly got angry and it turned into a frown.
Doug: How terrifying would that be? 'Cause you're so used to used to the smile. Like, if that's what the smile looks like, what does a frown look like?
Doug (vo): I think if they went really big...
Doug: ...with, like, creepy, huge eyes or, like, bugs in the smile or something like that -- like the show usually does -- it would have been as effective. It has to be something where you feel like this person can sneak into your home and do something awful.
Doug (vo): It's just a dude, and sometimes just whatever is going inside...
Doug: ...the mind of a dude is more terrifying than any monster.
(Fred sits still, gazing at Courage. Then, after a long period of silence, he blinks his eyes and speaks.)
Fred: Courage...
(Courage gasps from fear.)
Doug: That's kind of what I was talking about. Where you have something that's established. Uh...uh... Just his voice. His voice has the same tone throughout the whole thing, so that when it suddenly...
Doug (vo): ...dips down a little lower where he [Fred] just says his name, "Courage."
Doug: Like, that's not scary, but doing it in that lower tone where you're so used to the same thing from him all the time, you know that when something changes, it's not gonna be good, and it's unsettling.
Fred: (narrating) It was a day I'd not forget. The day that I first met my pet.
Doug (vo): Okay, so finally...
Doug: ...we're getting into a little bit of the backstory of this character and why we're supposed to be afraid of him.
Doug (vo): Even that hamster looks disturbing. I mean, this is a cartoon...
Doug: ...with cute little animals, and they could easily make that hamster cute. But no. They had to make it this unadorable thing.
Fred: (narrating) That's when I got... naughty.
(The hamster is now shaved completely bare, with an expression of anger.)
Doug (vo): He [the hamster] actually looks...
Doug: ...cuter without the fuzz! So -- so there you go. You have the have the first major "naughty" thing he did, and...of course, like traditional psychopaths, starts on a pet, and then it's going to move on.
Doug (vo): So we have where it started, and that's kinda funny. He shaved the hamster or whatever...
Doug: ...but where's it gonna go now?
Fred: (narrating) Unfurls sweet memories of a girl, and tempt me to be... naughty.
Doug: (beat) Now what am I supposed to say to that?
Fred: (narrating) Barbara, my love was named.
Doug (vo): Wonderfully exaggerated, and also creepy.
Doug: Very much like the...
Doug (vo): ...big eye drawings from the 50's and 60's. (One of Margaret Keane's works of art, depicting a big-eyed girl shedding a tear, is shown.)
Doug: The kind of kitsch art that I and...you probably found creepy!
Fred: (narrating) Until one evening – I'm ashamed – I got a little... naughty.
Doug: Obviously, there's so many ways this can be scary, but you look at what they're actually saying and showing, and nothing has happened. Like, at all.
Doug (vo): Again, it's the power of suggestion. This is the part where...
Doug: I'm sure, like a lot of you, I got really uncomfortable and really creeped out, where I had to remind myself, "It's a kids' show. They're not gonna do anything that bad." And, as we see, they really don't.
Fred: (narrating) I realized she...needed space. (The girl is now shaved bald, and her expression is now furious.)
Doug (vo): So at this point...
Doug: ...you're finally starting to put it together. This is all it's going to be.
Doug (vo): And if you're like me, you're kind of saying to yourself...
Doug: "Well, how did they do this? How do they create this uncomfortable feeling without really doing anything?" There's no monsters. There's no murders. There's not even any violence!
Doug (vo): I mean, if you were to tell someone, "Yeah, there's an episode about a barber who goes to Courage and shaves his fur."
Doug: "And then he cut this little girl's hair and shaved a hamster." And then you'd say, "Okay, it sounds goofy, silly." You wouldn't think it's the scariest episode of this show that already has a lot of creepy, scary things.
(Courage pulls out a phone and tries to dial the number on Fred's wristband, but his suit cuff covers it up.)
Doug (vo): Ah, 90's cell phones.
(We see Fred having a flashback of his barbershop. A man with a long beard is seated in the barber's chair.)
Fred: (narrating) I'd never seen such hair before! (Sweat drips from Fred's forehead.)
Doug (vo): Another great element...
Doug: ...you can always add to make someone more creepy. Just add sweat.
Doug (vo): I mean, there he is. The same smile as always, but you see that sweat.
Doug: It's an extra element that's either extreme discomfort or...even more terrifying extreme comfort! (snickers)
(Courage is sitting on the toilet, nearly shaven completely. Fred, sitting on the edge of the tub, beckons Courage, his shaver still buzzing. Courage notices the only fur left being on his tail, shielding it and yammering in protest.)
Doug (vo): What I also love with the...
Doug: ...awkward social norms is that he [Fred] beckons him [Courage] to come forward. Like, he [Fred] feels he has enough control over him [Courage] that he would. Enough control or trust. And again, that just shows how not on this plane he is.
Fred: That would be weird! (Fred puts a hand to his ear as sirens are heard approaching.)
Doug (vo): Even when he knows...
Doug: ...the jig is up, he's still...so happy. There's something so uncomfortable about...not people being happy, but people who are happy all the time.
Doug (vo): There's no acknowledgement of other emotions. I feel like people...
Doug: ...want to be balanced. They...don't like sad or angry emotions, but you need them. They're very important. That when someone just completely denies that and erases it from their consciousness...
Doug (vo): ...you know there's something off about them...
Doug: ...and that something bad can come from them.
(Two big men break down the bathroom door. They enter, carrying an orange blanket. Fred is seen being taken away by the men to a white van, restrained in the blanket.)
Fred: (narrating) But then my landlords did presume...
Doug (vo): For those who are wondering why...
Doug: ...there's not a straitjacket on him, I think that's supposed to be like a barber cloth...
Doug (vo): ...like you put around someone whenever you cut their hair. 'Cause, again...
Doug: ...this is for mentally ill barbers. So I think that's the joke there.
(Fred glances at the farmhouse as he is taken away.)
Fred: (narrating) And farewell, Courage! What's the harm, if I was slightly... naughty?
(Courage glances behind him. The camera moves to a message inscribed on his back. It reads "With love, Fred.")
Doug (vo): All right.
Doug: As much as I love this cartoon, there's two missed opportunities. One: I think when the door closes...
Doug (vo): ...they should've held on that...
Doug: ...and the ambulance driving away with him just looking at them. I think that would've been scarier. Two: That really...
Doug (vo): ...should've said "The End". It's just...you know. Or maybe not.
Doug: Maybe that joke's been done too many times, but I -- I think it would've been funnier.
Doug (vo): So, there you go. that is apparently...
Doug: ...the most terrifying episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog, "Freaky Fred". Where almost nothing happens.
Doug (vo): A guy uses an electric shaver...
Doug: ...to shave a dog. That's it. And he gave people bad haircuts. That's it. That's not scary. But I think this cartoon should be studied...
Doug (vo): ...about how much the delivery can just make a huge impact.
Doug: I mean, again, this is a show with aliens and monsters and ghosts, but it's...
Doug (vo): ...a dude who likes cutting hair. That's the most terrifying, and...
Doug: ...he does nothing violent at all. And even compared to the other creatures, he doesn't look that terrifying. But there's something about...
Doug (vo): ...social cues that people -- even little kids...
Doug: ...pick up on. And I think they're really exploited here to the best degree where they try to very much just have these little clues. These creepy smiles...
Doug (vo): ...the eyes, the way he talks, the way he emphasizes certain words.
Doug: You really don't need to do that much in terms of getting a scare across. And I think this is proof by being the scariest episode. It's actually so scary, that there is a video where they...
Doug (vo): ...reanimated it because they're such fans of this episode and how strange it is.
Doug: I really feel like this is a cartoon that should be studied and analyzed for how to do something disturbing without actually doing anything disturbing.