Something wicked this way comes... The setting and design of the twisted decrepit old dark circus that features in this one is excellent, as is the rich atmosphere of eeriness that comes with it. There's definitely something a little extra nightmarish in the tone of this story. I really love the manner of Max's summoning, it's a classic! The one time that Max actually remembered to say fowl and he gets corrected with chicken! I didn't think the utterly insane Freako was really scary as a clown, but he still cut a seriously creepy and sinister figure. I love how blindly trusting Norman and Virgil are to this demonic-looking clown in a carnival that is clearly not quite right, and in which they already know there are vicious freaks roaming around, and they also know that many children have been disappearing within the immediate vicinity! Anyway, Freako's outlandish garb looks a bit like Freddy Krugar's sweater, and his face looks just like one of the Killer Klowns From Outer Space! And like those fantastic creations from the 80's horror movie, that's not makeup he's got on his face - it *is* his face! Such an utterly evil and heartless villain. I mean, turning little kids into horrible monsters that are all his slaves just because he wants to be surrounded by those who are just as hideous as he is? That is sick I love it! What a genuinely scary idea for a story. My favourite part is the rather inspiring scene where Max convinces the freak mob to fight back against their cruel master with this really great rousing speech - Go Maxie!!! I like how our conquering trio are by no means immune to whatever unspecified dark magic it is that Freako is using and are transformed into freaks themselves during the story. The one Max is briefly turned into is so ugly! Oh and how could a situation like this ever not all come down to a showdown inside a deadly funhouse? I like to see Max take action and save the day by himself when he figures out that the key to turning everyone back to normal is to shatter the cursed funhouse mirrors. The animation as they explode is very well done. Ugh, and the twist at the end of this misadventure is the absolute spookiest yet, with Freako, or perhaps the ghost of Freako cackling evilly from within the shards of one of the shattered mirrors... It's a terrifically effective final image. And for a nice change, not that I ever found them terrible or anything, I actually really enjoy the entirely optional educational bit which for the twenty-odd seconds that it's on, is really interesting and is all about the history of clowns! This hair-raising gem of an episode was based on the Horror Head play-set "Mighty Max Out-Freaks Freako", and in my opinion they did a great job putting this creepiest of episodes together and I love it, as I do many in this series, because despite its minor flaws, it was such an all-round winner. What a horror show!!! 🤡