'Circus of the Scars' Excites with Video Archives of Stunts and Shocks

Lollapalooza back then must've been...something else.

From IMDB

Dear Moviegoers,

No film, narrative or documentary, exemplifies the Superchunk song “Misfits & Mistakes” as much as Circus of the Scars does. I hold “Misfits & Mistakes” in pretty high regard, for its great name and the line “say you will, say you will, put all the random pieces together.” I’m not sure why or how, but that name with that line registers with me profoundly. And Circus of the Scars has everything to be expected of an older pack of misfits and mistakes, looking back on their lives, putting pieces together that they’ve held onto and maybe weren’t even aware of until now.

The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow at the center of this straightforward tale of twisted acts by pretty regular but cool people, begins shamelessly out of Seattle underground dives and venues. Initially a one-man performance of stunts, grossness, and anything for attention, soon enough grows into a tightly-knit troupe of freakazoids - The Torture King, The Enigma, The Tube Man, Mr. Lifto, etc. Each has specific looks with somewhat sickening but always amazing gimmicks, which become received - well or otherwise - by exploitative talk shows and sincere music festivals, bringing about disgusted looks from television audiences and grand applause from the kids at Lollapalooza. Of course, people eventually move on, some try to cling to what they can, and everyone gets older.

Such is life.

Circus of the Scars, in this way, could be seen as a fairly less-than-average story about an obscure and small genre of artists that navigated what was the 1990s. They came, they saw, they had fun, they went home, and here they are. Could this be the result of a COVID-affected production? Primarily cut and glued with just Zoom interviews and an overreliance on some rough but great VHS archive footage, Circus of the Scars might be judged by some solely on the merits of its wallet-less production. But these criticisms would be missing out on some special filmmaking.

Anything but ho-hum, even when the few personal conflicts that linger are treaded on lightly by the cast, Circus of the Scars has a magical and progressive look of the present and toward the future, with a humble attitude to a past of youthful adventures filled with startling skills of shock. There’s a sincerity that the performers all share, mostly in how their experiences made them who they are now, and the appreciation for all the lessons learned along the way.

Something so humble captured so purely - with just a camera, a microphone, and an interesting story to tell - can never be boring or cheap. There may be nothing new added to the lore of 90s America or to what it all meant then and today. But such exploration would only take away from the film, about a very rad group of individuals with things to say about what they did, how it felt, and what they think about that time, those places, and who they once were - and who they will always be.

Revel in the stomach-fermented bile beer. Behold the ink on The Enigma. Witness the feats of Mr. Lifto. And let Jim Rose be your charismatic barker as the show goes on. Superchunk plays in the background, and the crowd digs and dry heaves to the vibe. 3.5/5

Circus of the Scars is now available on Tubi.

Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,

⚜️🍿

P.S. -
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