You know we live in a bad era when even horror movies struggle to make bank (despite the fact that it's all that's in theaters right now). Freaky is Christopher Landon's step up from the modestly successful Happy Death Day after its sequel veered confusingly away from its simple horror premise. Most people have agreed that the trailer made it look like a ton of fun with its likable leads and fun combination of Freaky Friday and (insert standard slasher here). But does it live up to such hype, or did this deserve to join the rest of current theatrical releases in quick obscurity?
The Story
The film follows a young girl named Millie, played by Kathryn Newton, who feels like a total loser at her school and constantly gets made fun of. She gets chased by a known psychopath known as The Butcher, played by Vince Vaughn, who stabs her with an ancient knife that causes the two of them to switch bodies. Once Millie convinces her friends that she is her teenage friend trapped in an old psycho's body, they work together to capture The Butcher before midnight so she can get her old body back.
What's Good About It
Anyone who was disappointed that Happy Death Day was very minimal with its blood will get what they paid for here. There's intense stabbing, body parts bursting, entire bodies sawed in half.... If that sounds like your cup of tea, you'll have a blast!
The two leads in this movie, whenever their respective characters switch bodies, deliver phenomenal performances. Vince Vaughn plays the energetic teenage girl perfectly, almost like he was born to play this role. Even more so, however, is Kathryn Newton. Her performance as the killer is so intense and intimidating that I almost just want to see her in a normal psychopath role on her own instead of having to be in a story where her character switches bodies.
Other Bits:
-Spooky Atmosphere
-One Funny Scene Involving Millie's Crush
What Doesn't Work About It
Every slasher film, from what I've seen, has either established what the killer is trying to do or established that the killer is mentally unstable to a point where he doesn't have a reason to do what he does. This movie doesn't really do either. This "Butcher" character can talk in complete sentences, so he's not mentally unstable, but the film never explains why he kills who he kills. He just goes from place to place killing random teenagers with no rhyme or reason. On top of that, it's never explained why it's so important that he holds onto Millie's body in particular.
I'd hate to go back and give credit to the It movies, but in those movies, what scared the kids tied into their innermost fears. In this film, it feels like the writers were playing Horror Mad Libs. I'll use the first kill as an example; in the opening, the killer stuffs a bottle of wine down a guy's throat and smashes it. Even John Wick would call that random!
Other Bits:
-Overlong Final Act
Freaky is just as insane and over the top as the premise and trailers have led on, but it has a few story issues that keep it from greatness. This is the kind of horror you rent with your friends for a cheesy scary movie night. It's definitely a step in the right direction for Landon, but hopefully, he can work on more cohesive material in the future.
Rating: 6.5/10
