Starring Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton, Freaky is a 2020 horror directed by Christopher Landon. This is the second Landon movie I’m watching this month as Happy Death Day 2U was first. It’s the twenty-fourth movie in the October challenge.
It also stars Celeste O’Connor, Misha Osherovich, Dana Drori, Nicholas Stargel and Katie Finneran.
Freaky tells the story of Millie, a teenage girl, (Newton) who accidentally swaps bodies with a serial killer (Vaughn). She only has 24 hours to find a way to switch them back before it sets in forever. Unfortunately, while she’s doing that in his body, the killer is using her body to kill people.
It’s a horror take on the novel Freaky Friday. Moreover, it includes references to several horror franchises such as Friday the 13th, Scream, Halloween and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
If you like Landon’s previous movies, you’re definitely going to like this one.
Freaky is fun. I know that sounds weird to say about a horror movie but it is. In the same vein as Happy Death Day, Freaky is irreverent and creepy at the same time. It balances the humor next to the horror well, never overloading one with the other.
Kathryn Newton is amazing as both versions of Millie. She slips from the shy girl to the menacing villain who’ll make you quake in fear with ease. It’s mesmerising watching her go between the two so effortlessly and it’s not surprising her stardom is rising.
There are moments she’s the killer until somebody nearly catches her. Suddenly, she’s the teenage girl again, playing the gullible around her. I’m glad she decided on taking the role after first turning it down. Freaky wouldn’t be the same without her.
As for Vince Vaughn, well he was a revelation. Sure, comedy is in his blood. His back catalogue is full of them. However, Freaky isn’t his first horror movie as he stars in the 1998 remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Pyscho. It’s this that makes him such a compelling villain. This is especially more important as he doesn’t play that side of his character much.
He spends most of the time pretending to be a teenage girl, and it’s hilarious. He manages to portray it enough it doesn’t come across as satire. Instead, you believe this is a teenage girl in a man’s body. Even though it’s different, it reminds me of Tom Hanks in Big.
Something that makes me excited for the future is seeing two characters from two movies I love crossing over. In an interview with Collider, Michael Landon said this on Freaky and Happy Death Day being in the same universe:
“Oh yeah! Totally! A hundred percent. I think that they exist in the same spiritual universe, so to speak. I think I could easily see Tree and Millie getting together and being like, ‘Well, you won’t believe what happened to me!’ Because I think that tonally they’re connected, I think thematically they’re connected in a weird way. And yeah, I think it’s an easy, easy buy for sure.”
Honestly, if this happens, I’d see that movie multiple times. Two of my favorite final girls together. If it happens, it’d be interesting seeing the two have to tackle a time loop AND the dagger.
Freaky is a creepy but fun take on a story usually reserved for family movies. Landon breathes new life into it while Newton and Vaughn only serve to elevate it.
