Freaky was one of the most fun horror movies of 2020 and is a near-perfect example of how to make a horror comedy. When it comes to body-swap comedies, the original Freaky Friday or its 2003 remake are ones that often spring to mind for movie fans. There was also a glut of body-hopping comedies during the 1980s, including 18 Again and Vice Versa, and the genre typically sees a teenager swapping places with a parent and the two learning to see things from each other’s perspective – quite literally.
Freaky is a 2020 entry into the genre that gave the conceit a slasher twist. This sees a shy teenager named Millie (Kathryn Newton) stalked by the Jason Voorhees’ inspired Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn). The Butcher stabs Millie was a ceremonial dagger that causes them to switch bodies, and Millie – trapped in the killer’s body – only has a day to undo the swap before it becomes permanent. The movie received strong reviews when it debuted and has already become something of a cult favorite.
Making a truly effective horror movie is difficult, as is making a genuinely funny comedy. That’s why it stands to reason that making a great horror-comedy is one of the most difficult subgenres to pull off. The most famous examples like An American Werewolf In London can walk a fine line between laughs and genuinely unnerving scenes like David’s body horror transformation. Freaky also manages this balance with finesse, with the movie functioning as both a slasher and a surprisingly sweet comedy too; so basically it’s Freaky Friday The 13th, which was its original title.
The opening of Freaky pays homage to 1980s slasher movies as The Butcher kills a group of teenagers with everything from a wine bottle to a toilet seat. While the payoff to each kill is designed to raise a ghoulish smile, the film still remembers to take the horror seriously. Shaun Of The Dead is another example of a film that does the same; the film can be very goofy, but in scenes like the death of Shaun’s mom it doesn’t undermine the threat of the zombies or the drama either.
In fact, the comedy of Freaky is what makes the horror work so well. During the first act, it takes time to let viewers get to know Millie and her friends Nyla (Celeste O’Connor) and Josh Millie’s (Misha Osherovich, NOS4A2), making The Butcher’s attack on Millie all the more visceral. Slasher fans are very well served by Freaky’s creative dismemberment of its victims, including death by table saw. These kills retain a nasty edge without tipping into sadism.
Vince Vaughn playing a teenage girl sounds like it could have formed the basis for a mediocre comedy in the mid-2000s, but the actor commits to both roles in Freaky. He makes for a surprisingly menacing Butcher but also does an incredible job portraying Millie trapped in his body. The movie even has fun with the gender swap implications of the premise but has such a good handle on tone that when Vaughn’s Millie kisses her love interest Booker, it plays as a sincere moment. Freaky’s blend of likable characters and playing into its ludicrous concept, while also remembering to never undermine its slasher elements, are what make it such a horror-comedy treat.
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