Movie Review: “Freaky” Is More Fun Than Frightening

The horror-comedy is surprisingly sweet.

Let’s face it: we have come to know what to expect from body swap movies. The concept of a character waking up in another person’s body is one that Hollywood has always been weirdly obsessed with (remember The Hot Chick?). With that in mind, it’s safe to assume that you were probably expecting Christopher Landon’s Freaky to be a somewhat scarier rendition of Freaky Friday.

Well, you’re not exactly wrong. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing! Despite the sense of familiarity, Landon’s latest effort is wildly entertaining, terrifically gruesome and, uh, unexpectedly heartfelt.

Freaky follows dorky teenager Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton), a high school student who becomes the newest target of the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn), a middle-aged serial killer with an appetite for particularly gory murders. When the Blissfield Butcher’s mystical ancient dagger causes him and Millie to wake up in each other’s bodies, Millie discovers that she has only 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent, and she’s trapped in the form of a psychopath forever.

All of the expected jokes are injected into the script by writers Landon and Michael Kennedy; the Butcher discovers what it’s like to have breasts, while Millie is amused by the ability to pee while standing up. However, Freaky also finds slightly deeper territory by exploring what both Millie and the Butcher get out of the body swap. By inhabiting the body of a 50-something male, Millie feels physically strong and empowered. On the other hand, the Butcher becomes a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” in Millie’s body, making it far easier for him to lure in potential victims. By delving into the confidence Millie finds while in the Butcher’s body, Landon adds greater nuance to the film’s plot.

It also helps that both Newton and Vaughn are so damn convincing at playing each other's characters. Newton is given the more difficult challenge out of the pair, and she certainly rises to it. Considering the Butcher barely speaks, the Blockers actress becomes an utterly convincing murderer through mostly her facial expressions and body language. (A quick costume change into a red leather jacket also does the trick.) Unsurprisingly, Vaughn is hilarious as a teenage girl trapped in a psychopath’s body. Sure, his running away with flailing arms can feel a tad stereotypical at times, but he manages to portray the complex emotions of a high school girl with sincerity. When Millie—still inside the Butcher’s body—interacts with her crush Booker (Uriah Shelton), Vaughn is both funny and sensitive.

The movie also isn’t afraid to play with long-standing audience expectations of age old horror conventions. When Millie’s energetic and witty best friends Josh (Misha Osherovich) and Nyla (Celeste O’Connor) are being chased, Josh says, “You’re black, I’m gay, we’re both so dead,” acknowledging the fact that characters identifying with these marganalised groups are often the first to die in horror flicks. With that in mind, it’s a shame that the writers didn't delve more into Nyla and Josh’s personal experiences and backgrounds.

Of course, Landon is already known for supplying homage to some of horror’s most easily recognisable tropes. Happy Death Day used the time loop concept and paid tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, while also examining themes of loss and grief. This time around, Freaky draws from slasher classics like Scream and Halloween, with plenty of grisly scenes of limbs being severed. In saying that, it’s simply a lot more fun than terrifying. The kills are too absurdly creative to keep anyone awake at night.

This is 2020 we’re living in though, so who doesn’t want to sit back and have some fun? The film may not completely reinvent the horror-comedy genre, but between its fast pacing, lively performances and unexpected emotional core, Freaky is one hell of a time.

3.5/5

Freaky is out in Australian cinemas now. It is rated MA15+ for strong bloody violence and coarse language.