FREAKY
US, 2020, 102 minutes, Colour.
Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Celeste O'Connor, Misha Osherovich, Dana Drori, Katie Fineran, Uriah Shelton, Alan Ruck.
Directed by Christopher Landon.
Sometimes they refer to this kind of film as “Body Swap�. At other times it is one soul, one personality, exchanging with another. Family audiences remember Freaky Friday. And there have been a whole lot of variations on the theme. This one is quite a variation! And it takes place as the opening indicates on a freaky Wednesday the 11th, continues on a freaky Thursday the 12th and culminates on a very freaky Friday the 13th.
This is a production from Jason Blum and his Blumhouse company,, becoming more and more prolific in recent years. They are mainly horror films. Sometimes they are quite high and and get critical response like Get Out, The Invisible Man. Otherwise they plunder all the old genres and conventions, frequently tongue in cheek, not minding moments of bloodshed and gore.
This one is aiming rather high, especially with its leads, veteran Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies). It is not without some gory deaths – those who dislike gory deaths will be put off, perhaps very much put off, by the first five minutes which has four teenagers splattered in a reminder of the Scream franchise. And there is a masked killer.
The murders raise quite an alarm in the local community. The film focuses on a widow and her two daughters, one who is a member of the police force, the other, Millie, Kathryn Newton, still at school. She is picked on at school, treated very badly by one of the teachers, still said that to be death of her father and worried about her mother’s growing dependence on alcohol.
Which is the situation for the Body Swap, the killer approaching Millie, armed with dagger with supernatural powers, each of them stabbed and, lo and behold, killer Vince Vaughn having to act (quite entertainingly) as a teenage girl and Kathryn Newton embodying the killer. Which means that everybody is terrified at school especially when the killer in movies body turns up and has to persuade people that he is Millie. On the other hand, the Killer Is Millie insinuates himself into the school, reading a bit of gory vengeance.
The two have until midnight to get their bodies exchanged so there is a bit frantic behaviour, as the killer infiltrates the school and the alternative to the homecoming dance, while Millie’s friends do their best to save the day, save the night.
Clearly, this is Blumhouse horror for the fans, making sure that it has its quota of gore but, not intending to be taken deadly seriously, lots of tongue-in-cheek dialogue and quips. However, unlike some other films, it does spend some time on some more emotional family and friendship conversations.
The film was written and directed by Christopher Landon who made a strong impression with Happy Death Day 2 U and who wrote several of the Paranormal Activity films.
1. The blend of horror, gore, comedy?
2. Blumhouse production, tradition of horror, tongue in cheek horror? A kind of horror pantomime rather than drama? The writer-director?
3. The home settings, the school, the locations around the town? Classes, assemblies, the dance? The final house of horrors? The police precinct? The musical score?
4. The opening, Wednesday the 11th, the four youngsters, the killer, the gory deaths, his taking the knife? The parody and parallel with films like the Scream series? The continuation to Thursday the 12th, Friday the 13th?
5. The prologue and the mood? The transition to Millie, Char, the mother, tensions in the house, the father dead, the mother drinking, Char in the police, the mother working at the dress store? The variety of moods?
6. School, Millie, Nyla and Josh as friends, her attraction to Booker, the girls picking on her, the jocks and their reactions? Mr Bernardi, Millie late for class, his taunts, criticisms?
7. Millie, waiting after school, the danger of the murderer, the media reports? His arrival, pursuing Millie, her struggle with him, removing his mask, the knife, the mutual wounding? The transition?
8. Millie waking up in the squalid circumstances, the old man wanting drugs, her reaction to being inside the body, discovering the male body? Going to the school, the various taunts, the girl wanting all the information from her, going to the toilet area, putting her in the deep-freeze, her death and breaking apart? With the various students? Going to Mr Bernardi, the saw, the weapons, his fears, sliced? Further with the students, the dance, the death of the jocks? Her being taken, tied up, in Josh’s house, his mother, pretending that this was role-play, getting loose? The pretence that he was Millie? The buildup to the confrontations, with Char and the police station?
9. Millie inside the killer’s body, her reaction to being inside the body, discovering the male body, the shower? Everyone afraid? Confrontation with Nyla and Josh? Eventually persuading them? The comedy of Vince Vaughn’s performance as the teenage girl? The mannerisms? The police pursuit? Hiding? The mask, going to the shop, the talk with Millie’s mother and the reminiscences about the past?
10. Booker, his friendship towards Millie, in class, her being late, putting the watch ahead? In the car, the poem, the kiss?
11. Nyla in the police precinct, trying to get the knife, imprisoning shar?
12. The time deadline, bringing the two together, the confrontation, Millie wanting her body back, the reaction of the killer, the fight, the watch, being fast, the mutual stabbing, return to themselves?
13. Millie, at home, peace? The arrival of the killer, the confrontation between the killer and all the family, destroying him?
14. Tongue in cheek, the touches of gore, audience expectations, a horror fantasy?
