Body swap movies have been around longer than you may think. Films like Turnabout and Here Comes Mr. Jordan came out in the 40’s. However, most point to 1976’s Freaky Friday as the popularization of the plot device, particularly in comedy. This led to some horrible films like 18 Again! and Like Father Like Son, but also led to fantastic films like Big (arguably Tom Hanks greatest performance), Heaven Can Wait, All of Me (possibly Steve Martin’s greatest performance) and Being John Malkovich. It also led to 2020’s Freaky, a body switch movie that proposes what would happen if a typical teenage girl swapped bodies with a psychotic killer.
This film comes from Blumhouse (with Universal distribution) with directing and screenwriting by Christopher Landon, who also wrote and directed the Happy Death Day franchise films, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. (FUN FACT: Christophen Landon is the son of Michael Landon, himself starting his career in horror as the star of I Was a Teeenage Werewolf.) The pedigree of the film certainly was promising going in.

The casting was absolute perfection. Vince Vaughn checks both boxes of what you want in this movie. Vaughn is best known for his comedies such as Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball. However, he is a physically imposing man standing 6’5” which is tall IRL let alone in Hollywood, a land where many of the top leading men are of diminutive stature. Also, and this is oft forgotten in his filmography, Vaughn played a psycho once before as Norman Bates in Gus Van Sant’s shot-for-shot remake of Psycho. An actor equally adept at the horror and comedy elements this format is what I call perfect casting.

Leading the predominantly young cast is Vince’s swap partner, Kathryn Newton, moving from television to movies over the past two decades though I suspect I’ve just seen the role people will remember her from best. Her performance is as important as Vaughn’s and leads us to invest in her character as it moves from her body to Vaughn, who does a great job playing her as a character and not a caricature. It is very comparable to Jack Black’s Jumanji performance a few years back. Newton’s performance seems less showy in comparison but more grounded. Newton can’t bank on people remembering past characterizations and point to them as shorthand...she needed to mark her own territory. I honestly felt when the killer was in her body, she was even more menacing.

Another great, yet smaller role, was held down by Alan Ruck, best remembered as Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This time, he is the authority figure with a part you expect to go one way and veers off for a nice surprise prior to leaving the film’s plot.

It’s pretty obvious from the setup, comedy would be the emphasis of the film, so it is a fair question: do the horror elements work? The answer: for the most part. Because you buy into the characters, there are some real scenes of suspense that take you by surprise. There are also some very violent, gorey kills that fill the requirements of the slasher film fan as well. It attempts some poignancy as well with a frayed family situation, and this is where I feel the film does not succeed as well. It might be a case of stuffing the script with too many unnecessary elements. Sometimes, it is those details that draw you into a film, but in this case, I saw elements such as the father’s death and mother’s battle with the bottle as superfluous and unnecessary.

The film flies along at just over 100 minutes and that seems like the perfect length. I find myself hoping it doesn’t lead to a sequel as the story is told and complete just as it is. Currently, it has doubled its tiny $6 million budget at a time where making your money back at all is quite an accomplishment. The legacy of this film is yet to be written, but I think like the best horror film of the year that came out early (The Invisible Man) this will be one of those films people will point to and say, “That idea should not have worked. It’s too out there. And yet, it succeeded.”

:hocho: FREAKY (2020) REVIEW

:beginner: Streaming : Amazon Prime (US)

If you have a liking for slasher flicks, then freaky will definitely quench your thirst in that genre. Freaky is fast paced , humourous, with relatively good horror scenes and crazy characters which keep you glued till the end. Slasher comedies doesn't bother your brains to exercise much rather gives you the adrenaline rush if you just want to enjoy a movie as a concept. Please keep logic out of the context while watching this one and sure you will have a great experience.

The Movie is wildly entertaining with some great performances by Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton . Both understand the genre and give a fine performance.

As a teenage slasher flick it is filled with humour and horror moments for you and your family with a Tub of Popcorn to enjoy over a weekend. With a 102 min run time , you never get bored with this body swap episode. Director Christopher Landon has done a good job with the screenplay making it fast paced which elevates a fun and engaging movie experience.

:beginner: PG : Swearing + Slasher Blood Scenes + No Nudity

:white_check_mark: Overall, Freaky is a familiar but fun riff on the classic body swap concept , makes you terrified, laugh and gives you a decent enjoyable movie Experience.

Rating : 7/10

Instagram : @riteshreviews

Oh to be a white main character that's ~not like the other girls~... just me and my token POC and gay best friends!! Having fun and crushing on the popular jock that is ~actually a super nice guy~!! <3 <3 <3

Okay okay, so this is a horror comedy, I'm not surprised how heavily they leaned into stereotypes I guess. Really, this movies was actually super cute, imo. I found myself giggling a few times, and I thought the casting was just spot-on. I've actually never seen a Vince Vaughn film, but I thought he was pretty funny. Definitely Jack Black in Jumanji kind of vibes. Can I get more of this trope? I'm starting to get addicted. I hope I see more of Celeste O'Connor and Misha Osherovich; they're a real treat. Definitely gonna look them up and see what else they're in. And I find that Kathryn Newton is always a joy to watch on screen. Maybe I'll watch Detective Pikachu again...

If you're into mindless horror comedy that's heavy on the gore and has a surface-level plot, this is for you. But I am nothing if not a fool— I really found myself invested in the LOVE INTEREST PLOTLINE. I'm a SUCKER FOR [spoiler] LOSERS GETTING THE JOCK. [/spoiler] I DON'T CARE. SUE ME.

Kathryn Newton deserved better.

'Freaky' is largely a (very) mixed bag, but Newton's performance is honestly superb - which makes it difficult to rate. On the one hand you have a fairly run-of-the-mill slasher, yet on the other Newton's showing is of such quality that it belongs in something far greater. She's top notch here, it's just severely unfortunate the film is nowhere near her level at all.

There are a few decent slasher-y moments and Vince Vaughn tries. Speaking of Vaughn, it's neat to see a different side to him as an actor but I found him to be 50/50 in this; he kills it (pardon the pun) in some parts, but in others it's clear he's trying to impersonate a teenage girl - which is the complete opposite to Newton, who plays two characters supremely well.

I know I'm repeating myself, but... in layman's terms: Newton good, film bad.

Freaky is a self-aware horror comedy spin on the classic film Freaky Friday (hence the name freaky). The slasher elements are extremely present, and I loved the shades of Friday the 13th with the Jason style killer and the sharp music, reminiscent of the original F13 score, playing during his scenes. The kills are incredibly brutal and really earn the R rating, some are very creative while others are the run of the mill horror kills. While watching this movie I could not help but feel bored at times. There were some definite lulls that could have been sharpened up for a tighter movie viewing experience.
I understand that the movie was self-aware and poked fun at a lot of horror tropes, bult I felt as if they went a little too overboard. There were some scenes of bullying that just felt so unbelievable and over the top that it really pulled me out of the film even though I understood it was being satirical. The acting overall was pretty good, some lines were delivered awkwardly but nothing that was too consistent to harm the experience. Vince Vaughn is fantastic in this movie, and when that switch happens, he really sells that he is a high school girl in a killer's body with his girly movements and dialect.
Overall, I had a fun time with the movie, but there were quite a few elements that really hold it back.

**Verdict:** _Decent_