Platinum Star Scan Member ID Profile & Payment Tickets Gift Card Sign In Sign Out Shopping Cart Shopping Cart Edit Close Calendar Movie Club Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Help Connections Rewards History Warning checkmark Event Series Event Series Location Plus Minus Movie Rewards Candy Popcorn Drink Hot Dog Pizza Ice Cream Restaurant Bar Popcorn Lock Private Delete Ticket Add to Watch List Added to Watch List Watch List Skip to Main Content
Image for 00 Freaky ETK Hero.jpg

Freaky: Everything You Need to Know About The Bloody Horror-Comedy

9/10/2020 • 4 min read

You almost certainly know the idea behind FREAKY FRIDAY, the young adult book and subsequent Disney movie (and remakes) in which a 13-year old girl switches bodies with her mother for a day. The movie version wasn't the first "body-switching" comedy but it became the archetype for the subgenre.

The title of the new movie FREAKY might give you a clue that it is winking at that well-established comedy concept, and the stripped-down name will hopefully indicate that there's a horror engine under the movie's hood. FREAKY comes from the director of HAPPY DEATH DAY, and stars Kathryn Newton as Millie, a put-upon high school student who switches bodies with a serial killer (Vince Vaughn). Frantic to get back to her old self, Millie realizes she has 24 hours to reverse the switch.

Here's everything we know about the funny and blood-splattered FREAKY.

Image for 01 Freaky Poster 1250.jpg

Freaky's Friday Release Date

FREAKY comes to theatres on November's upcoming Friday the 13th. A fitting release date, since the movie was originally referred to as "Freaky Friday the 13th."

Watch the Frighteningly Funny Freaky Trailer

 

This first FREAKY trailer is smartly cut to play directly to anyone who loved the two HAPPY DEATH DAY movies. (They're great, so that means us!) It's fast and funny with characters drawn in bold strokes and a high-concept story idea that you'll understand without having to think about it, leaving plenty of room for insane comedy setups and, very likely, some new riffs on classic horror movie setpieces.

In short, wallflower Millie is targeted by the Butcher, a serial killer who is, for some reason, running around seemingly unchecked in her town. When their encounter leaves each of them in the other's body, the Butcher — who now looks like a far more brash and confident version of Millie — is even more free to roam around and indulge his worst instincts. The real Millie, meanwhile, has to convince her friends of her identity while staying one step ahead of the cops as she outwits the determined and camouflaged killer before he can kill too many more people.

Image for 02 Freaky Cast 1250.jpg

The Freaky Cast

Kathryn Newton was wonderful in the underrated comedy BLOCKERS, and on HBO's "Big Little Lies." She makes both versions of Millie, the "real" and the possessed, seem equally believable. And she gets to go a few rounds with Vince Vaughn, who has already proven time and again that he can bring a sense of presence and immediacy to even the most high-concept character. Since you don't get much more high-concept than "serial killer inhabiting the body of a teen girl," he's well-equipped to star in FREAKY.

Three other young actors are key to this dark comedy. Celeste O’Connor plays Millie's "ultra-woke" friend Nyla; she will also be seen in GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE. Misha Osherovich, recently seen in THE GOLDFINCH, plays Millie's "ultra-fabulous" friend Joshua, and Uriah Shelton plays Booker, who doesn't even notice the heroine, despite her massive crush on the sports star. FREAKY also features Alan Ruck ("Succession"), Katie Finneran ("Why Women Kill"), and Dana Drori ("High Fidelity").

Image for 03 Freaky FIlmmakers 1250.jpg

Freaky's Fantastic Filmmaker

We don't know what's in the dark corners of the mind of writer-director Christopher Landon, but he has quickly established an identity as one of the most entertaining horror filmmakers working today. After his early features BURNING PALMS and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES, both of which he wrote and directed, Landon made the underrated SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE APOCALYPSE. That was followed by HAPPY DEATH DAY in 2017, which set a new standard for self-aware, horror stories. It's as funny as it is vicious; think of it like this generation's SCREAM. The 2019 sequel turned the original movie's premise inside-out for a follow-up that was just as effective.

Now Landon collaborates with "Bordertown" writer Michael Kennedy to deliver this knife-sharp take on slasher movies and body-switching comedies. Jason Blum (THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE PURGE) produced, putting FREAKY in the company of a wide range of recent horror success stories.

 

FREAKY comes to theatres on Friday, November 13!

 

All images courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Get email updates about movies, rewards and more! Subscribe to our emails Subscribe to our emails