Bibliographic Information:
Title: Freaky
Director: Christopher Landon
Production Company: Blumhouse Production - Divide/Conquer
Copyright Date: 2020
Genre/Format of the Title: Comedy, Horror, Thriller, Movie/Streaming
Running Time: 1h 42min
Film Rating: R for bloody violence, strong language, and sexual content
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Celeste O'Connor, and Misha Osherovich
Awards or Honors: No awards as of the submission of this paper
Logline: “After swapping bodies with a deranged serial killer, a young girl in high school discovers she
has less than 24 hours before the change becomes permanent.”
Plot Summary: Millie is a soft-spoken, timid teenager who gets bullied at school. She lives with her overprotective mother (who is still grieving the death of her husband) and her police officer older sister. One night after homecoming, Millie is attacked by a serial killer and before the knife pierced her chest, a freak accident occurs that causes Millie to switch bodies with the killer (Freaky Friday style). Now Millie has less than 24 hours to undue the curse or become permanently trapped in a killer’s body!
Director Background: Christopher Landon is known for his work on scifi/horror movies with twists. He is best known for directing the two Happy Death Day movies, which mash the slasher genre with Groundhog Day. One of his trademarks is having a character dealing with the recent death of a parent (IMDB, n.d.).
Critical Evaluation for Books and Non-Print Items: This is a comedy before it’s a horror; that’s not a bad thing but viewers should know going into it. I found that, once I stopped counting all the “plotholes” I enjoyed the film a lot more. This is a movie that has fun with the slasher subgenre and the body-swap premise. While Vince Vaughn isn’t as good as Jack Black in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, it’s still hilariously entertaining to see him play a teenage girl.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Halloween Costume Prep / 'Body Swap'
Teen will be asked to select one individual (historical, alive, fictional) they would want to body swap with. They will then come to the library dressed as that character for the library's annual Halloween costume party.
Speed-Round Movie Talk: Millie is shy, reserved, and not all the center of attention. But when a freak accident causes her to swap bodies with the Blissfield Butcher, a serial killer, Millie must break out of her shell and convince her friends to help her get back to her body. Can Millie reverse this curse before she is permanently stuck in a murderer's body?
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: The film is rated R for severe use of profanity and the severe violence and gore. There are some bloody scenes that show all the gory details without any fancy editing cuts: you see it all. I would be happy to explain the MPAA ratings to a concerned parent and would also share IMDBs parental guide for future reference.
Reason for Inclusion: Freaky pays homage to the 80’s slasher movie subgenre. Freaky’s opening scene is a direct reference (almost beat per beat) to the opening of Scream, which was a landmark for youth culture when it came out. The film utilizes the genre of horror to explore complex, young adult issues and the dramatic changes teenagers are going through during this transitional phase of their lives. The movie takes a shy, Freaky’s comedic approach makes it easier for viewers to bounce back from the more horrific aspects of the film while feeling more comfortable tackling potentially sensitive subjects like life, death, and bullying.
Enhancements
Freaky Official Trailer
Also directed by Christopher Landon: Happy Death Day