Truth be told I was really looking forward to seeing Freaky when I first starting to see reviews for the film pop up late last year but I ended up forgetting about it soon after because there was no UK release date in sight at the time. It wasn’t until I seen a new trailer before A Quiet Place Part II that I was reminded about it but I’m not going to lie, having to wait nearly 9 months to see a film that was initially released overseas in November has annoyed me somewhat.
I did have high hopes for this film but the real question is, has it been worth the wait? Well, I popped over to my local cinema earlier today find out and the short answer is… Yes. I actually quite like this blend of horror and comedy that we’ve started to get recently with the likes of Happy Death Day and The Babysitter and Freaky is a nice continuation of that trend. Essentially, this is a horror themed body swap comedy somewhat along the lines of what would happen if Friday the 13th and Freaky Friday had a baby.
The film starts out as your typical teen slasher flick but it isn’t too long until the shenanigans ensue. Freaky stars Vince Vaughn as The Butcher, a stoic serial killer in the vein of a Jason Voorhees, who body swaps with an innocent high schooler, played by Katheryn Newton, when he tries to kill her using an ancient and ritualistic dagger.
I’ve always been a fan Vince Vaughn’s more dramatic work and the man can be an outright intimidating individual when showcased with the right script, just look at Brawl In Cell Block 99 as as an example of how brutal and menacing the man can be. But here, not only does he pull off the machine killer quite well, but oddly enough he manages to smash it as an insecure teenage girl as well. I honestly don’t think Vaughn gets anywhere near enough credit for his range as an actor but Freaky helps showcase both extremes of the man’s ability and don’t forget, this dude played Norman Bates back in 1997.
Karthyn Newton, who I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, also does a really good job as the film’s second lead first playing the innocent teenager and then the stoic psychopath and honestly think she pulled off the bloodthirsty maniac just as well as Vaughn.
From start to finish, I enjoyed Freaky. It does put an original spin on two well trodden movie tropes and it managed to keep me entertained throughout. It isn’t an overly long film and I think it’d be safe to say the fat has been well and truly cut with this one. I found the film to be perfectly paced and with more than a few funny moments that kept me smiling throughout.
Still, I’m not so sure I can recommend going to the cinema to see it. The film feels oddly timed as a summer movie and in all honesty, there’s better films already out and even more coming within the next few weeks. I’d maybe hunt down a screening if you’re a fan of this type of film, but personally I’d probably wait until it hits streaming which I expect to happen around Halloween time.
by Edward Laing
