Freaky has seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler who spends her days trying to survive high school and the cruel actions of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the latest target of the Butcher, the town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries. When the Butcher’s mystical dagger causes him and Millie to magically switch bodies, the frightened teen learns she has just 24 hours to get her identity back before she looks like a middle-aged maniac forever.
Review by Ben Dover:
Freaky (2020) – 3.5 Blood-Soaked Pom-Poms
Well, butter my popcorn and call me a teenage scream queen! Just when I thought the slasher genre had been beaten to death harder than a final girl in a corn maze, along comes “Freaky” to prove there’s still some life in them there knife-wielding maniacs.
This flick is what you’d get if “Freaky Friday” and “Friday the 13th” had a baby, and that baby was raised by John Hughes on a steady diet of Tarantino films. It’s a body-swap comedy with more blood than a vampire’s juice cleanse.
Vince Vaughn plays a serial killer who ends up switching bodies with a high school wallflower, played by Kathryn Newton. Vaughn prances around in a teenage girl’s body like a bull in a China shop, while Newton channels her inner psycho with all the subtlety of a chainsaw in a library.
The plot? It’s thinner than the chances of survival for a horny teenager in a slasher flick. But who cares? We’re here for the kills, and boy, do they deliver. We’ve got deaths by toilet seat, wine bottle, and even a table saw. It’s like the writers raided a Home Depot for murder weapons.
The humor is hit-or-miss, like a drunk playing darts. Some jokes land harder than a body thrown from a second-story window, while others fall flatter than said body after the fall. But when it works, it’s funnier than watching a clown slip on a banana peel at a funeral.
Is it scary? About as much as a kitten in a Halloween costume. But it’s got enough jumps and gore to keep the kids happy. And by kids, I mean those millennial whippersnappers who think “Saw” is a classic horror film.
“Freaky” isn’t going to win any awards for originality, but it’s a solid entry in the teen slasher comedy genre. It’s proof that sometimes, all you need for a good time at the movies is a ridiculous premise, some creative kills, and Vince Vaughn trying to walk in heels.
So, if you like your horror with a heavy dose of comedy and don’t mind feeling like you need a shower and a trip to confession afterwards, give “Freaky” a watch. Just maybe skip the popcorn. You’ll need a strong stomach for this one.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make sure I haven’t accidentally body-swapped with anyone. These days, you can never be too careful. And I definitely don’t want to wake up in the body of some TikTok-ing teenager. My back couldn’t handle all that dancing.
Notes:
Gross worldwide:
$18,073,433
Budget
$5,000,000 (estimated)
These are Coronavirus pandemic numbers as theatres were mostly closed, has been a streaming hit.
Director/co-writer Christopher Landon cited Fright Night (1985), The Blob (1988), Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Urban Legend (1998), Cherry Falls (1999), and Jennifer’s Body (2009) as inspirations for the movie
Quotes:
Josh: Great. We’re gonna be killed by Murder Barbie.
Josh: You’re black! I’m gay! We are so dead!
Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
Critics Consensus:
Critics 83% Audience 80% Rotten Tomatoes
An entertaining slasher with a gender-bending, body-swapping twist, this horror-comedy juggles genres with Freaky fun results.
Trailer:
Images:
AI Images:
These are just a fun experiment.
