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Freaky

Freaky: A Sadistic (but Silly) Switcheroo

February 9, 2021 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

When Blumhouse does something right, it’s worth taking notice.

As the reigning kings of horror, Blumhouse has been involved with some of the last decade’s most iconic franchises. From Paranormal Activity to Split to Insidious, it feels like almost every major franchise of the genre is tied to the House of Blum. While not all of them are instant classics (I’m looking at you, Fantasy Island), the studio has gained credibility for its willingness to try to take risks while still bringing the scares.

And Freaky definitely qualifies as a ‘risk’.

Now on BluRay, DVD and VOD, Freaky follows Millie (Kathryn Newton), a high school senior still grieving the loss of her father and struggling to survive as a social pariah. Keeping a close circle with her besties Nyla (Celeste O’Connor) and Joshua (Misha Osherovich), Millie mostly stays home to help her mother and wants to get through high school unscathed. However, when a terrifying encounter with the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) leads to her soul trading bodies with the known serial killer, Millie must race against the clock to reverse the curse and get back to her normal life.

While Freaky doesn’t have the social conscience of recent Blumhouse classics like Get Out, The Purge or The Invisible Man, it’s humour certainly cuts deeply enough to be worth the time. Despite the fact that the body-swap premise is far from fresh, Freaky’s unique vision gives the formula new life. Directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day), Freaky is bloody good fun that accomplishes what it sets out to do. In other words, the film is funny when it wants to be and horrific when it needs to be. 

While Freaky‘s sadistic switcheroo is well-implemented, there are admittedly some characters and side stories that do feel like they get pushed aside in favour of the primary story. (For example, Millie’s mother feels like she’s been given some significant struggles with her alcoholism, yet the film barely blinks the implications of it.) In this way, the film does feel at times like it misses its full potential, even though it thoroughly entertains.

Thankfully, the film’s success is anchored entirely upon the performance of its two stars and both Vaughn and Newton absolutely kill it as the body-swapped duo. Having mostly chosen roles in smaller, independent films in recent years, it’s nice to see Vince Vaughn step back into the comedy limelight. As a 50-year-old man playing a teenage girl, Vaughn shows an vitality and glee that we haven’t seen in his performances in quite some time. In addition, co-star Kathryn Newton counter-balances Vaughn’s silliness with an inner darkness that is almost bone-chilling at times. Empowered by her new personality, Newton works with focus and ferocity as she awaits the proper moment to go in for the kill. 

Somewhat strangely, Freaky is very interested in starting a conversation about female empowerment. Bullied at school for her quiet demeanour, Millie is constantly made to feel weak and helpless by anyone outside her inner circle. (Even Mr. Bernardi [Alan Ruck!], Millie’s abusive shop teacher, seems to have a needless grudge against the quiet young woman.) However, when her spirit lands in the Butcher’s body, she experiences a sense of power for the first time. (In fact, she consistently apologizes for her inability to control her newfound physical strength.) Though she doesn’t inherit his murderous tendencies (well, arguably), Millie’s experience does give her a confidence that she hasn’t experienced before. Having been the victim of many stronger than herself, the experience of life in a man’s body offers Millie a chance to claim a power that has long been taken from her by others.

Interestingly though, the film also never (well, arguably) loses the innocence of Millie’s spirit either. Though she is unrecognizable physically, her friends recognize her quickly because the sweetness of her soul continues to shine through her middle-aged, masculine shell. Even potential love interest Booker Strode (Uriah Shelton) is able to see past the Butcher’s gruff exterior and speak with ‘Millie’ from his heart. (Admittedly, the scene does get particularly awkward when one remembers that it’s Vaughn in the role, but I digress.) While the culture around her has often used her innocence as a reason for abusing her, the purity of her soul is what keeps her from fully embracing the Butcher’s brutality. By emphasizing her heart,  Freaky manages to subtly suggest that true female strength comes from within, especially at the hands of a toxically masculine culture.

Released today on BluRay and DVD, Freaky’s so-called ‘killer bonus features’ are a little on the light side. Features on Christopher Landon’s ‘brand of horror’ and comparing Millie and the Butcher are fun but forgettable addendums. (Of course, the film’s commentary with Landon and an extra explaining how they accomplished their graphic kills are particularly fun.) 

Having said this, Freaky is not a film that requires a tonne of extras on its disc to make it an appealing purchase. As a horror comedy, Freaky successfully lampoons the tropes of the genre while while simultaneously celebrating them as well. What’s more, with surprisingly convincing performances, the duo of Vaughn and Newton give the film enough focus and energy to elevate it from merely a tired concept to an evening of absolutely killer fun.

Freaky is available on BluRay and DVD on Tuesday, February 9th, 2021.

Filed Under: DVD, Featured, Film, VOD Tagged With: Blumhouse, Celeste O'Connor, Christopher Landon, Freaky, Freaky Friday, Kathryn Newton, Misha Osherovich, Uriah Shelton, Vince Vaughn

FREAKY Comes Home this February…

January 20, 2021 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

The most unlikely reboot of Freaky Friday that you could imagine is making it’s way onto Blu-ray and DVD on February 9th, 2021. You can get more information from the press release below.!

Universal City, California, January 19, 2021 – Prepare for a FREAKY take on the body-swap movie which only Blumhouse, makers of Happy Death Day & The Purge franchise, could bring: a teenage girl switches bodies with a relentless serial killer! From the deliciously debased mind of writer-director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, the Paranormal Activity franchise) and prolific horror producer Jason Blum (Halloween, The Purge franchise), comes a horror-comedy about a stalker, a high school senior, and the brutal truth about surviving high school available on Digital on January 26 and on Blu-ray™ and DVD on February 9. FREAKY is “the most purely enjoyable horror movie made in years” (David Sims, THE ATLANTIC). Hailed as “an absolute blast – fun, frantic, horror/comedy mash-up” (Drew Taylor, COLLIDER), the Killer Switch Edition continues the fun and scares with exclusive bonus content including deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film and a feature commentary with Co-writer/Director Christopher Landon. With an 83% “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes and critical praise for Vaughn and Newton as “the new killer comedy scream team” (Rachel Smith, CELEBRITY PAGE), Vaughn won a Critics Choice Super Award for Best Actor in a Horror Movie.
 
High school senior Millie (Kathryn Newton, Blockers, HBO’s “Big Little Lies”) is just trying to survive being the unpopular kid when she becomes The Butcher’s (Vince Vaughn, Wedding Crashers, Couples Retreat) next target. Their fateful encounter gets twisted and wake up in each other’s bodies. Now looking like a towering psychopath, Millie learns she only has 24 hours to reverse the curse and get her body back before the switch becomes permanent and she’s trapped in the form of a middle-aged maniac forever.  With some help from her friends—ultra-woke Nyla (Celeste O’Connor, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), ultra-fabulous Joshua (Misha Osherovich, The Goldfinch) and her crush Booker (Uriah Shelton, Enter the Warriors Gate)—Millie races against the clock to reverse the curse while The Butcher discovers that having a female teen body is the perfect cover for a little Homecoming killing spree.
BONUS FEATURES on BLU-RAYTM, DVD and Digital:
Deleted Scenes The Butcher Lends a HandCharlene Hears a RumorLate for the Party
Split Personalities: Millie vs. The Butcher – Two opposing characters. One killer chemistry! Go behind-the-scenes to see how Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton worked together to bring these two very different characters to life and how they created distinct personal traits for both. This piece will focus on the magnetism between Vaughn and Newton, and how that chemistry raised the stakes for two characters stuck in such a strange situation.
Crafting the Kills – This feature will take viewers into the “Wood Shop” set to see how all of the various elements and departments come together to create an extraordinary kill that fans will talk about for years to come. We will also discuss the inspiration behind this bilateral bisection, what makes it both fun and horrifying, and how it is different from anything else you have seen in other horror films.
Christopher Landon’s Brand of Horror – Blending horror and comedy is a difficult task that not many can achieve, but Christopher Landon has proven time and time again that he is uniquely skilled at it. FREAKY is no different. Learn how Christopher’s vision brought new energy to the concept and elevated the story, all while creating a fun and proficient working environment. This behind-the-scenes look at how he weaves humor and gore together will give fans an intimate understanding of why a Christopher Landon film is a genre of its own.
Final Girl Reframed – The concept of a “Final Girl” is nothing new in the horror genre. However, Millie isn’t your typical Final Girl. We take a closer look at all the ways FREAKY takes your genre expectations and smashes them.
Feature Commentary with Co-writer/Director Christopher Landon

FREAKY will be available on Blu-rayTM, DVD and Digital.Blu-rayTM unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Freaky, Kathryn Newton, Vince Vaughn

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