Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Scouts Guide To The Apocalypse) adds to his collection of tongue-in-cheek horror films with the new gender bending horror-comedy Freaky. The film is essentially a homage to classic teen slashers such as Scream, Halloween and Friday the 13th as well as body swapping classics like Freaky Friday. Indeed the original title was pitched as 'Freaky Friday the 13th' as a direct reference to both influences, but copyright meant they were only able to salvage the first word in the moniker.
The opening of the film introduces us to our serial killer 'The Blissfield Butcher' (Vince Vaughn) as he brutally dispatches a house full of teenagers in a whole manner of gruesome ways. Before he leaves he steals an ancient mystical dagger known as 'La Dola' which he later uses to attack teenager Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton). This inadvertently causes the two to swap bodies. With only 24 hours to reverse the transition, Millie must track down La Dola before The Butcher uses his new found identity to reek havoc on the local high school population.
I have to say that this was some of the most fun I've had with a new release this year. The kills and violence were bloody but darkly comedic and over the top, and the jokes came at a steady pace and mostly landed (there were some BIG laughs in my screening).
I felt the film was a little slow to get going in the opening stages but it really comes into its own when the switch happens and we get to see Vince Vaughn flex his acting chops as he pretends to be a 17 year old girl. Watching all six-foot-five of him fully commit to this role was a joy to watch and served as the beating heart and driving force of the production. It's nice to see him return to a more comedically focussed role after a series of straight-edged dramatic performances in Hacksaw Ridge (2016), Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) and Dragged Across Concrete (2018). Kathryn Newton did a great job as well replicating a middle aged serial killer possessing a teenagers body and brought a lot of menace and sardonic style to proceedings. The supporting cast do a decent job, but the film definitely slumps in the parts where Vaughn is off screen.
In summation, Freaky is a huge bundle of gory fun led by a show stealing performance from Vince Vaughn. While it may not be the best film you'll watch this year, it's definitely one that's worth a watch just to see the actors having an absolute blast.
The opening of the film introduces us to our serial killer 'The Blissfield Butcher' (Vince Vaughn) as he brutally dispatches a house full of teenagers in a whole manner of gruesome ways. Before he leaves he steals an ancient mystical dagger known as 'La Dola' which he later uses to attack teenager Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton). This inadvertently causes the two to swap bodies. With only 24 hours to reverse the transition, Millie must track down La Dola before The Butcher uses his new found identity to reek havoc on the local high school population.
I have to say that this was some of the most fun I've had with a new release this year. The kills and violence were bloody but darkly comedic and over the top, and the jokes came at a steady pace and mostly landed (there were some BIG laughs in my screening).
I felt the film was a little slow to get going in the opening stages but it really comes into its own when the switch happens and we get to see Vince Vaughn flex his acting chops as he pretends to be a 17 year old girl. Watching all six-foot-five of him fully commit to this role was a joy to watch and served as the beating heart and driving force of the production. It's nice to see him return to a more comedically focussed role after a series of straight-edged dramatic performances in Hacksaw Ridge (2016), Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) and Dragged Across Concrete (2018). Kathryn Newton did a great job as well replicating a middle aged serial killer possessing a teenagers body and brought a lot of menace and sardonic style to proceedings. The supporting cast do a decent job, but the film definitely slumps in the parts where Vaughn is off screen.
In summation, Freaky is a huge bundle of gory fun led by a show stealing performance from Vince Vaughn. While it may not be the best film you'll watch this year, it's definitely one that's worth a watch just to see the actors having an absolute blast.