FREAKY (2020)
Horror went through a pretty drastic change during the SCREAM era. Films like the ones that featured Ghostface, URBAN LEGENDS, and more metatextual horror films ushered in a new standard for horror films. Now, there was no standard. Horror didn’t have to be just one thing. It could be dark, it could be funny, it could poke fun at the genre as a whole or even poke fun at an entirely different genre. Horror could no longer be shoehorned into just a couple of crammed categories.
Without that necessary sea change, we probably wouldn’t have gotten masterful genre-bending and deconstructing films like FREAKY. Christopher Landon’s rendition on “FREAKY FRIDAY-with-a-bloody-twist” comes with its fair share of scares. But in between the hacking and slashing is a coming-of-age story that teaches viewers and its main character about the importance of self-love and confidence. Oh, it’s also freaking hilarious. (See what I did there?)
FREAKY centers around Millie, portrayed by Kathryn Newton (POKÉMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU, the upcoming ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA), a teenage girl often bullied by her peers. Her life is completely turned upside down when she switches bodies with the Blissfield Butcher, an urban legend that’s been terrorizing the town. Now, if Landon really wanted to, this is where the connection to FREAKY FRIDAY could have ended.
“Freaky Friday” is both the literal title of multiple films (based on the 1972 book by Mary Rodgers) and the catch-all term given to the sub-genre it essentially pioneered in 1976. throughout most of its many interpretations, is a story about two people switching bodies and walking a mile in each other’s shoes. Probably the most well-known example is 2003’s FREAKY FRIDAY starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as a mother/daughter duo. They switch bodies and each learns about the difficulties of the other’s life, as well as learning something new about themselves that helps them grow as a person. It’s heartwarming and it's absolutely hilarious to see the two of them pretend to be each other.
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like you can get much of those themes out of Freaky; a version of Freaky Friday that also has to be an R-rated slasher flick. You’d think most of the comedy would come from the fact that Vince Vaughn has to pretend to be a teenage girl trapped in a serial killer’s body. But this is Christopher Landon we’re talking about here.
Landon proved with HAPPY DEATH DAY 2 U that his writing goes a lot deeper than surface level. And working with co-writer while he borrows concepts from classic films like GROUNDHOG DAY and BACK TO THE FUTURE, he provides enough twists to make his rendition worth watching.
The same can absolutely be said for FREAKY. Landon expertly navigates the line between slasher and comedy while still managing to instill a lot of heart into the story. In no other film can a scene with Kathryn Newton slicing a woodshop teacher in half with a table saw and a scene with Vince Vaughn performing a high-school cheer routine exist in perfect harmony. And as ridiculous as that may seem, not only do both scenes achieve the kind of reaction they’re trying for, but the script by Landon and Michael Kennedy create relatable and realistic characters which gives these scenes a sense of sincerity and weight. One that helps the movie linger with viewers longer and remain more special to them.
Comedy, much like horror, is funnier when it feels real and honest. Many of the characters in FREAKY feel incredibly lived-in thanks to Landon’s writing style. Landon, who came out as gay early into his adult life, fills FREAKY with diverse characters; and not just to appear woke but then they get killed off later. As a result, the students of Blissfield High don’t feel like basic horror movie caricatures. They feel like real people—which only adds to both the suspense and the silliness of the entire situation.
FREAKY could have done so much less and still serve up a passable horror version of a classic tale. Thankfully, it does so much more than that.
With tons of genuine laughs, important life lessons, and gory slasher staples, FREAKY scratches the itch for just about whatever kind of genre you’re in the mood for. And the ever-impressive filmmaking of Christopher Landon—already on par with horror legends like Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson—saves it from being a freakish mess and transforms into a strangely great choice for movie night this Halloween season.
