Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Freaky

This is a bloody good time that will have you scared and laughing all the way through! Christopher Landon once again has done it again by giving a slasher film that delivers on the goods while taking a familiar genre and giving it his own take on it. He loves taking familiar styles that have come before it and giving it his own spin on it with a slasher tone he did that with both Happy Death Day films which I love which had a Groundhog Day vibe to them. Then he essentially takes Freaky Friday and makes it a slasher horror. Now that is oversimplifying things a bit much as he yes takes that very similar style but throws a great original take on quite a tired and exhausted genre. The film is able to be incredibly bloody and violent at times which is what you would want from a film of this nature but it also is able to not take itself quite too seriously and be able to poke fun at the genre it is executing within the film. Freaky could have been a hit or miss in terms of quality but it delivers on all fronts its bloody, funny and incredibly entertaining. 

Firstly, The film balances its tones brilliantly. Now what I loved about the Happy Death Day films was its ability to mix comedy and horror together without one compromising the other now Freaky does just that but what makes its execution about different is its use of horror. Now when we watch the Horror in Freaky it is gruesome and incredibly graphic at times. Cristopher Landon definitely doubles down on the gore this time around and when he goes incredibly dark he goes their because in his other works he uses that for comedic effect for the most part but here their are some parts where it is very dark in a serious way and it is done greatly. Yes he still brings the comedy horror mix he is known for but here he explores the darker elements more seriously this time around and I love that. He then also uses the tropes that have been exhausted and deepens it in a way that hasn’t before as in past films of body swap films a lot of times those films use it for over the top comedic effect and they never really explore the science or the deeper sense of body swapping past the comedy. Freaky takes the concept of the Body Swapping and really deepens it of the mythology and the advantages and disadvantages about it and I love that. As it added a layer of information about the genre that for the most part in the past was used for comic effect and really never desired to explore besides scratching the surface. 

Secondly, The performances are fantastic! Vince Vaughn delivers what is one of his best  comedic performances in years. The cast is great in this film I think Kathryn Newton is finally getting the recognition she deserves as she’s been seen in small supporting roles in films like Three Billboards, and Ben is Back. But it took until Blockers for people to sit up and see she can actually headline a film and here she is front and centre and I love seeing she is getting the leading roles she deserves as she is a fantastic actress with great talent. Here she plays Millie this shy girl who never expresses her true feelings. Now Newton is fantastic in the film don’t get me wrong but the only problem I had with the film is that the story itself dose not give her much to do in terms of performance since her soul is swapped with the Serial Killer she’s constantly quiet or giving these intimidating looks and doesn’t really speak for a large part of the film. Now that is not Newtons fault its just I wish she had more to do in terms of character and performance as it was a bit of a let down she didn’t get to do much but for what she does get to do she’s fantastic. The performance here though that everyone will be talking about is Vince Vaughn who single handily delivers a genius comedic performance that I haven’t seen this good in years. He has been giving great serious performances in films like Fighting With My Family, Hacksaw Ridge just to name a few but in terms of comedy he hasn’t shown that great strong comedic range we know he can show in quite sometime. Here he shines in a performance that is way over the top fun and a scene stealer that will have you laughing the whole way through. Everyone else in the cast was fantastic giving great supporting performances but its Vince Vaughn who steals the show. 

Lastly, Freaky is another solid film by Christopher Landon who gives his spin on the Body Swapping genre in a way that is the best it’s ever been depicted. As when the horror is present its very scary and very graphic and when the comedy is front and centre you won’t stop laughing and both tones mix greatly together in a well layered story of gore and humour that will have you enjoying every moment of this film. If it’s from the laugh out loud comedy or the fantastically timed horror elements this is a film everyone will enjoy. 

This film centres around a girl who’s brutally attacked by a serial killer and when he stabs her their souls swap her soul is in his body and his soul is in her body but if they don’t fix it before the end of the day they will be stuck inside the bodies they were swapped with forever 

Rated R : Sexual Content|Language Throughout|Strong Bloody Horror Violence

Vince Vaughn : Vince Vaughn delivers a comedic genius performance in Freaky! This man has not given us a great comedic performance in a very long time. He’s like I said before given us great dramatic work in the last couple of years but in terms of comedy I’ve missed it from Vince. Here he brings the genius comedy he’s known for and it’s not cheesy or too much whatsoever. Here he brings the comedy in a way that works exactly into his strengths as the concept of the entire film is a body swap so he’s having to take his body and speak and act like a 17 to 18 year old teenage girl and it’s amazing. Now this sort of thing has been done before in the new jumanji films as Jack Black does a similar thing but here he takes that exact concept and doubles it as it’s so smartly done in terms of his delivery of dialogue. He’s able to be big brooding and terrifying at times as he is playing a serial killer but then can go from being psychically intimidating to completely hilarious within seconds. As when his body is swapped the moment it happens Vince dose not light up for a moment as in he is constantly delivering side splitting comedy. From a psychical standpoint it is also great as he has to walk talk and act like a teenage girl in a grown man’s body and it could easily come off as lazy or weird which it is to an extent but overall it works because of his amazing commitment to the concept and to the comedy. Theirs moments where he can bring some heartfelt emotion in a weirdly heart to heart conversation which you don’t expect and he brings the emotional depth and range needed to showcase those moments. But it’s in his ability to pick and choose when to go for a joke or when to pull back as he’s he’s constantly funny but it never got annoying or to much and that’s also in part to Vince’s amazing ability on knowing when to deliver which tone if it’s comedy or a heartfelt moment his timing is amazing. You can tell he’s having so much fun onscreen and it shows through The performance as he gives this over the top balls to the wall performance that walks the line between comedy and also at times intimidating terror. As he still technically playing a serial killer so when the last act of the film arrives and we see him as the killer he can switch his emotional depth within seconds and it’s incredibly impressive as he is hilarious and terrifying all at once and it works brilliantly this is truly one of Vince Vaughns best comedic performances in years! 

Christopher Landon : Christopher has created yet again another terrific film with the perfect blend of comedy and horror. He impressed the hell out of me with his work on the Happy Death Day movies and his blend of slasher and comedy and how both Gell really well together and here he does so once again with his amazing work on Freaky. In this film he takes the tropes of Body Swapping as I mentioned earlier and he throws his own spin on the genre by yes adding horror and comedy elements which he’s now known for as the style he uses most often. Here he uses similar tones from Happy Death day with the comedy and horror mix for sure but what works so greatly with his work on Freaky is his ability to be able to go deeper into the genre that’s known for scratching the surface. As I mentioned before Body Swapping films have never been known for diving into the deeper themes of body Swapping as well as the depth of how detailed it can get and he explores all of that in great lengthy detail. He then also doubles the Horror this time around as before he took the Horror elements and dabbled in how serious he went with it as it usually was used for comedic effect their were moments of actual fear and terror in some of his past films for sure but here he actually has genuinely heart stopping moments that will make you actually scared. And as the gore is definitely ramped up compared to the past films he has made he as always evens it out with the signature dark comedy he’s known for that was perfectly mixed. On top of the great genuine emotion that feels earned instead of cheesy or corny it comes across as genuine. As well he gets great performances from his entire cast the stand out being Vince Vaughn and he gives the audience actual lessons to walk away with that are very deep and surprisingly touching Christopher Landon has done another truly greatly directed film that shows him exploring depths and places he has not gone in his other films in terms of emotional depth and definitely in terms of gore and horror. He gives audiences laughs, scares and even some tears another greatly directed film by Christopher Landon