Vince Vaughn channels his inner teenaged girl and nails a hilarious performance in the new slasher comedy from Blumhouse, FREAKY! As odd as 2020 has been this plot line almost feels believable. Regardless, this R rated thriller is sure to hit home with fans of switch films, serial killers, and lots of gory demises. The question is, will the “final girl” be trapped forever in 40 year old man? (continued below)
FREAKY – In theaters Friday the 13th of November | Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, sexual content, and language throughout
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton, Blockers, HBO’s Big Little Lies) is just trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the newest target of The Butcher (Vince Vaughn), her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries.
When The Butcher’s mystical ancient dagger causes him and Millie to wake up in each other’s bodies, Millie learns that she has just 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent and she’s trapped in the form of a middle-aged maniac forever. The only problem is she now looks like a towering psychopath who’s the target of a city-wide manhunt while The Butcher looks like her and has brought his appetite for carnage to Homecoming.
(continued) I enjoyed the pace of this film as it moves quickly from scene to scene. We are given enough information to understand how the two traded bodies so that we can get to the good stuff. As much fun as it was to watch Vaughn embrace the personality of Millie – using every stereotypical teen-girl cliche – it was just as entertaining to watch Newton move about as if controlled by a psychopath dude.
The backdrop of High School is fantastic for bloody revenge films. We have all met up with mean girls, jocks, and the angst that those hallowed halls exude. No matter your age those years often still feel like yesterday; joys and pains alike. Millie’s close friends quickly buy into the fact that she truly is trapped in this other body and they work diligently to help her reverse the curse before The Butcher wipes out anymore of their classmates. Another reminder that you can always tell who your real friends are.
Yes there is a lot of blood in this one so horror fans rest easy. But you can’t have a switch movie without focusing on the things that make men and women different. Those are pointed out in goofy moments as Millie “explores” all her new parts. Ew, not like that! But simply peeing standing up can be a whole new world. Thankfully we don’t see as much of that from The Butcher as he is trapped inside of a young girl. He is freaked out a bit but he was already crazy. He simply uses his new vehicle as a means to increase the body count. He may be crazy but he is no dummy.
The story wraps up nicely even if the last 15 minutes seems like overkill – pun unintended. I found it unnecessary since the rest of the film moved along so well. The elements at the end added nothing but extra run time. Still I give FREAKY a solid B for, wait for it… Beavers. It was a lot of fun and although body switching isn’t a new concept by any means this one played it up nicely.
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