In the podunk town of Blissville an urban legend runs amuck about the horrifying Blissville Butcher. However, on Wednesday, October 11th, the legend comes to life and The Butcher (Vince Vaughn) begins murdering the local teenagers. The following night, in Freaky Friday-esque fashion, the Butcher and teenage-outcast, Millie (Kathryn Newton), switch bodies. When Millie realizes that the switch might become permanent, she must do everything in her power to make things right. Things are about to get Freaky.
Newton perfectly fits the role of an odd teenager and Vaughn surprisingly settles nicely into the role of deranged serial killer. Those roles, however, immediately switch and the two talents are tasked with tackling roles unlike anything they have before. The importance of Vaughn throughout the course of Freaky is immense, but also challenging to the seasoned actor. Seen typically in comedic roles, the first obstacle is convincing the world that he is, in fact, a psychotic killer, which, as previously mentioned, he manages to pull off in just a short amount of time. However, as soon as viewers begin to accept him in this role, the narrative shifts and he’s asked to take on the persona of a seventeen year old girl. While this comedic approach is more Vaughn’s style, it’s still a tall task to ask any fifty-ish year old man to portray a character of this nature. Freaky sees Vaughn shine brightly and convince the world that this gargantuan man is everything he claims to be. Vaughn is cheeky, animated, sassy, and nearly every other adjective used to describe a teenage girl. Given what he is asked to do in order to make Freaky successful, this feels like one of Vaughn’s best performances to date.
Some Blumhouse horror films find themselves being unintentionally laughable, leading to those films’ stories becoming watered down and unenjoyable. Freaky intentionally includes humor throughout the course of the film to tell its story, and brings to life a relatable slasher/comedy for the ages. Rather than a series of mishaps leading to cringey, unrelatable moments, writers Michael Kennedy and Christopher Landon deliver a juxtaposition of laughs and scares that keep viewers on the edge of their seats preparing (unsuccessfully) for what happens next. Never knowing what will come next finds viewers anxiously turning every corner with their hands over their eyes. Not a moment goes by where the anticipation doesn’t grab hold of the audience and engulf them in this twisted tale; Kennedy, Landon (who also directs), Vaughn, Newton, and the rest of the cast are to thank for that.
Sure, Freaky is cheesy, and it has moments where supporting cast members fail to deliver like Vaughn and Newton, but the film as a whole is enjoyable. Throughout the film it appears that the cast and crew attempt to be edgy and progressive; I personally believe that in a film of this nature there is no need for this approach. While this does kill some prominent moments of the film, the story and fantastic acting help to keep the film's hypothetical head above water. Freaky is the perfect combination of Freaky Friday and Friday the 13th, marrying horror and comedy in a truly fascinating manner. Even though Freaky takes aspects from a number of different films, it still feels fresh. From beginning to end viewers are taken on a unique journey of blood, gore, and teenage romance, themes that shouldn’t work well together, but do throughout Freaky.
Directed by Christophe Landon.
Written by Michael Kennedy & Christopher Landon.
Starring Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Celeste O’Connor, Misha Osherovich, Dana Drori, Katie Finneran, Uriah Shelton, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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