Horror Movie Review: Freaky (2020)

“Your touch makes my pussy as dry as sandpaper, you fucking monkey. I can’t wait to kill you.”

Freaky is a 2020 American comedy slasher film directed by Christopher Landon.

Four teenagers are brutally murdered by a serial killer known as the Blissfield Butcher. Who then steals an ancient dagger known as La Dola. The next day, bullied high school student Millie Kessler attends the Blissfield Valley High School homecoming football game, where she performs as the school mascot. As Millie waits for a ride home near the now-empty school, the Butcher attacks her. He stabs Millie in the shoulder with La Dola, causing an identical wound to instantly appear on his shoulder. Millie’s older sister Charlene, a police officer, arrives and scares off the Butcher. The police collect La Dola as evidence and initiate a manhunt for the Butcher.

The following morning, the Butcher and Millie discover that they have switched bodies, and they both make their way to Blissfield Valley High School. At school, the Butcher, now posing as Millie, kills Millie’s chief tormentor Ryler by locking her in a cryotherapy tank in the girl’s locker room. He realizes his innocent appearance grants him immunity from suspicion and murders woodshop teacher Mr. Bernardi. Another one of Millie’s tormentors, with a table saw. Millie, now in the Butcher’s body, finds her best friends Nyla and Josh and proves her identity to them by performing the school mascot’s dance routine and answering a series of personal questions. Nyla and Josh research La Dola. They discover that Millie must stab the Butcher with the dagger by midnight or else the body switch will be permanent.

Later that afternoon, the Butcher lures Millie’s crush Booker into a monster mini golf course to kill him. But Millie, Nyla, and Josh arrive just in time to save him. Millie knocks both the Butcher and Booker unconscious, and she and her friends bring the two to Josh’s house. After tying the Butcher to a chair, Millie and Nyla try to explain the situation to Booker. He remains unconvinced until Millie recites a love poem she anonymously wrote to him weeks earlier. Josh watches over the Butcher while Millie, Nyla, and Booker drive to the police station to obtain La Dola.

Can the gang get the dagger and end the curse before it’s too late?

I’m sure we’re all familiar with Freaky Friday and so the concept of a body swap movie is not unknown to us. But I’ve never seen it used in a horror so was pleasantly surprised. Freaky is a fun movie, seeing Vince Vaughn play a teenage girl is obviously funny and he pull it off eerily well.

There are some interesting and brutal kills but overall, Freaky could have been more gory. In a similar sense to Happy Death Day, this is a horror comedy chick flick through and through. If you like your movies tame or you want to watch something easy for a date then this is the perfect movie for that (that kiss is passionate as hell, even if it is body swapped Vince Vaughn and a high school boy).

I enjoyed the fact that the dagger concept wasn’t overly complicated, it was clear and simple. That is until they introduce a major plot hole involving the timings of the swap – the first time it’s overnight, the second time it’s done in seconds. They literally change their own rules to suit the narrative and I expected some kind of twist because of that but nah, it was just a plot hole. Additionally, Millie could have changed the Butcher’s appearance in some way, instead of walking around looking like the wanted poster – shaving your head goes a long way, people!

Overall, Freaky is a good time, definitely one to save for date night. An original concept for a horror, Freaky blends horror and comedy perfectly and for all its mistakes, is still well worth a watch.