“Freaky Friday” meets “Friday the 13th” in Blumhouse’s slasher/comedy, “Freaky.” This film comes to us from Christopher Landon, the director of the two “Happy Death Day” films. While “Happy Death Day” combined the slasher genre with a “Groundhog Day” story, this film combines the blood-soaked adrenaline of a slasher film with the hilarity of a body swap movie.
Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) is a loser high school student. She gets picked on a lot in school, and she has a crush on a boy named Booker (Uriah Shelton). Her life changes when a serial killer named the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) stabs her with an enchanted dagger, causing the two to switch bodies. Millie must now team up with her friends, Nyla (Celeste O’Connor) and Josh (Misha Osherovich), catch The Butcher, and switch their bodies back on one eventful Friday the 13th.
When it comes to the slasher genre, filmmakers face the challenge of creating something fresh. After films like “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th”—and their many unnecessary sequels—you can’t just write another movie where a guy in a mask walks around and kills people. You have to be creative, and creativity is this film’s strong suit.
Had enough of watching “final girls” scream and run away from murderers? This movie flips the slasher genre on its head with some hilarious hijinks. It effectively combines two familiar premises that we never thought would have gone together to bloody brilliant results in a rated-R slaughter-fest.
Zack Shires and Vince Vaughn in “Freaky” (Blumhouse Productions, 2020).
Where this film shines is, you guessed it, the performances. Vaughn gives a wonderfully charismatic performance as a teenage girl in a grown man’s body. He embodies her spirit very well while also bringing a lot to his other role as The Butcher, a murderer of few words with the mannerisms of Michael Myers. Newton commands the screen with her presence as a killer in a teenager’s body, and she is magnetic in this role.
The film’s supporting cast deliver surprising performances as well. This movie isn’t The Vince Vaughn Show, with actors like Newton and Osherovich delivering the audience smiles in nearly every scene they’re in. With the talent on screen, it’s hard not to have fun.
Furthermore, writers Michael Kennedy and Landon do a satisfactory job with the screenplay. Millie is a compelling character, as she is dealing with her father’s death, and she has shut herself off from her family. Her mother (Katie Finneran) has turned to alcohol to cope, and her sister (Dana Drori) has buried herself in her work as a police officer.
Millie immediately becomes a protagonist we care about as she goes on this journey, even if the film’s exposition could benefit from a bit more subtlety. Her relationships with the other characters in this movie are enthralling, even though the fact that Vaughn is portraying her can make it hard to take it seriously.
Kathryn Newton as ‘Millie’ in “Freaky.”
In terms of characterization, Nyla may be the only weak link, as she is a one-dimensional best friend who doesn’t have enough comedy or screen presence to make her interesting. However, she works well enough for her role in the film.
Where this film may falter for some is the abundance of teen movie clichés. Millie is tormented to the point of unbelievability, and the scenes of her mistreatment can feel familiar and a bit on-the-nose. We have a posse of mean teenage girls, and where Millie’s story goes is very typical.
Once The Butcher takes over Millie’s body, he walks into the school with a different hairstyle and jacket in complete slow-motion fashion. Everyone begins to treat her differently and respect her. It feels like a rehash of “She’s All That,” with credibility stretched in the idea that everyone would treat an already attractive girl differently simply because she wears a different jacket.
But when little is playing in theaters, you can’t go wrong with this slasher comedy. It pokes fun at the genre at times, it has some bloody kills, and it remains likable from start to finish. If you would rather wait for the film’s VOD release on November 30th, that is your choice to make.
My recommendation? Stay home if possible, wear masks if you’re outside, stay socially distant, and don’t get stabbed by The Blissfield Butcher; you never know whose body you’ll end up in.
