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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Ginger Snaps (2001) in Movies
Mar 22, 2021
Ginger Snaps is certainly a product of it's time. A couple of decades later and it's so painfully 2000s, however, it still offers something fresh to the werewolf sub genre.
The allegory of burgeoning womanhood and simultaneously turning into a force of nature is an effective one, and is realised well, thanks to its well written characters and solid cast. Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins do a fantastic job in carving a realistic portrayal of sisterhood and a challenging time in life. Mimi Rogers is great on her supporting role as well.
For a film that has some potential to be silly, Ginger Snaps plays the whole ordeal pretty straight and sticks the landing for the most part. Nothing comes across as goofy.
There's plenty of impressive practical gore on display and some decent creature effects to top it all off.
This movie has a huge following for a reason, and although it's a little dated these days, it's still an enjoyable horror with a surprisingly emotional centre.
The allegory of burgeoning womanhood and simultaneously turning into a force of nature is an effective one, and is realised well, thanks to its well written characters and solid cast. Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins do a fantastic job in carving a realistic portrayal of sisterhood and a challenging time in life. Mimi Rogers is great on her supporting role as well.
For a film that has some potential to be silly, Ginger Snaps plays the whole ordeal pretty straight and sticks the landing for the most part. Nothing comes across as goofy.
There's plenty of impressive practical gore on display and some decent creature effects to top it all off.
This movie has a huge following for a reason, and although it's a little dated these days, it's still an enjoyable horror with a surprisingly emotional centre.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Invisible Man (2020) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
There are three things that are certain in life:
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Leigh Whannell is the fucking *man*.
Just fantastic. Obviously very few films could ever hope to match the rampant badassery of Whannell's previous masterwork, šš±šØš³š¢š„š¦ - but this is about as stellar as a follow-up as one could hope for. A constant guessing game with your eyes, something could be hiding in just about every corner - never stop looking, you could miss it right in plain sight. Melds horror, thriller, drama, and action in a way that is simply euphoric - especially after the decade-worst slump of movies we experienced in 2019. Does Jordan Peele better than Jordan Peele in every aspect except image-making, which only falls behind by a tad. Moss is - naturally - amazing, probably her best film performance in a career chock full of first-rate ones. And the themes are loud and clear without ever having to spoon feed or turn into a rote, mawkish Hallmark movie with the material. Starts small, methodically grows, then ends with a bang. A riot.
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Leigh Whannell is the fucking *man*.
Just fantastic. Obviously very few films could ever hope to match the rampant badassery of Whannell's previous masterwork, šš±šØš³š¢š„š¦ - but this is about as stellar as a follow-up as one could hope for. A constant guessing game with your eyes, something could be hiding in just about every corner - never stop looking, you could miss it right in plain sight. Melds horror, thriller, drama, and action in a way that is simply euphoric - especially after the decade-worst slump of movies we experienced in 2019. Does Jordan Peele better than Jordan Peele in every aspect except image-making, which only falls behind by a tad. Moss is - naturally - amazing, probably her best film performance in a career chock full of first-rate ones. And the themes are loud and clear without ever having to spoon feed or turn into a rote, mawkish Hallmark movie with the material. Starts small, methodically grows, then ends with a bang. A riot.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Dirty Dancing (1987) in Movies
Sep 14, 2020 (Updated Sep 14, 2020)
(My partner made me watch it after I forced her to sit through one Hammer horror too many.) Cheese-tastic dance movie. Innocent young girl experiences dance-oriented sexual awakening at a grim holiday camp in 1963. This mostly takes the form of her just standing there looking bemused while Patrick Swayze performs whole-body pelvic thrusts in her direction.
'The ultimate chick flick' (according to her indoors anyway) but looks just like a rather corny terpsichorean melodrama to me, not especially well-acted or directed - very reminiscent of films from the period in which it is set, although with a bit of slightly grittier content. That said, the soundtrack ping-pongs back and forth between the early 60s and the late 80s. In the end I did enjoy it a lot, although probably not for the reasons the makers intended (I particularly liked the moment where a bit of suspect editing makes it look like one guy is playing a sax solo on a trumpet). Silly, harmless fun.
'The ultimate chick flick' (according to her indoors anyway) but looks just like a rather corny terpsichorean melodrama to me, not especially well-acted or directed - very reminiscent of films from the period in which it is set, although with a bit of slightly grittier content. That said, the soundtrack ping-pongs back and forth between the early 60s and the late 80s. In the end I did enjoy it a lot, although probably not for the reasons the makers intended (I particularly liked the moment where a bit of suspect editing makes it look like one guy is playing a sax solo on a trumpet). Silly, harmless fun.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Tales That Witness Madness (1973) in Movies
Oct 27, 2020
Enjoyably (and appropriately) bonkers portmanteau horror movie based around the experiences of asylum patients. An imaginary friend turns out to be real, an antique bike turns out to be cursed, man falls in love with a tree stump, etc, etc. Kim Novak came out of retirement to play a slightly vacant literary agent who ends up eating her own daughter's flesh at a cannibal luau.
Not up to the standard of any of the Amicus portmanteaus, mainly because of a sub-par script - the twists to the various tales are either screamingly obvious, completely baffling or non-existent - but it's sort of campy fun anyway, with an interesting cast and reasonably good direction. Not remotely scary, though. The fact that much of it is totally ridiculous (the so-called Hawaiians look eastern European, and that's before we even get to the stuffed tiger or Michael Jayston going to bed wth a log) somehow doesn't detract from the entertainment value. Would have been nice to see more of Donald Pleasance, but you can't have everything.
Not up to the standard of any of the Amicus portmanteaus, mainly because of a sub-par script - the twists to the various tales are either screamingly obvious, completely baffling or non-existent - but it's sort of campy fun anyway, with an interesting cast and reasonably good direction. Not remotely scary, though. The fact that much of it is totally ridiculous (the so-called Hawaiians look eastern European, and that's before we even get to the stuffed tiger or Michael Jayston going to bed wth a log) somehow doesn't detract from the entertainment value. Would have been nice to see more of Donald Pleasance, but you can't have everything.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Predator (1987) in Movies
Sep 2, 2019 (Updated Oct 25, 2019)
Dug in like an Alabama Tic
Here we have a shining example of a crazy genre mash up that nails it first try.
Predator starts off as another 80s action fest, full of one liners, muscles, and explosions. It's ridiculous in all the right ways. (Dutch and Dillon's gratuitous muscles hand shake will always remain one of the most stupid-but-incredible shots committed to film)
As we all know, Predator takes a turn near the halfway mark into sci-fi-horror territory, introducing us to one of the most iconic on screen alien species ever.
The Predator design is badass, and the inevitable unmasking is pretty nasty.
As the movie draws to it's climax, the showdown between Dutch and The Predator is exciting and inventive, and cements Predator as one of the very best Arnold Schwarzenegger films.
Throw in a healthy amount of violence and some Little Richard and we have a hugely enjoyable action film to enjoy over and over.
It's a damn shame that none of the sequels have ever come close to the original and best. Maybe one day...
Predator starts off as another 80s action fest, full of one liners, muscles, and explosions. It's ridiculous in all the right ways. (Dutch and Dillon's gratuitous muscles hand shake will always remain one of the most stupid-but-incredible shots committed to film)
As we all know, Predator takes a turn near the halfway mark into sci-fi-horror territory, introducing us to one of the most iconic on screen alien species ever.
The Predator design is badass, and the inevitable unmasking is pretty nasty.
As the movie draws to it's climax, the showdown between Dutch and The Predator is exciting and inventive, and cements Predator as one of the very best Arnold Schwarzenegger films.
Throw in a healthy amount of violence and some Little Richard and we have a hugely enjoyable action film to enjoy over and over.
It's a damn shame that none of the sequels have ever come close to the original and best. Maybe one day...
Andrew Kennedy (199 KP) rated The Night Eats The World (2018) in Movies
Aug 30, 2019
This film is what I call a marmite movie, you will either love it or hate it. I happen to love it.
Based on the novel by Pit Agarmen our focus of the story is Sam (a superb Anders Danielsen Lie) who arrives at a party hosted by his ex girlfriend at the flat they used to share. Sam falls asleep in his old room and when he awakens the next morning the flat is trashed and there are zombies everywhere.
This film is no gore fest but kudos to make up department because these zombies look fabolous, this film is more of a study or how one man could surivie in solitiude and loneliness for a long time.
Trapped in an aprtment block Sam is able to stock pile supplies but while he wont starve to death will his own mind be able to cope with the horror around him?
Notable mention for Denis Lavant who plays the zombie Sam traps in the lift who he keeps talking too.
A French film but filmed in English with a strong main character.
Based on the novel by Pit Agarmen our focus of the story is Sam (a superb Anders Danielsen Lie) who arrives at a party hosted by his ex girlfriend at the flat they used to share. Sam falls asleep in his old room and when he awakens the next morning the flat is trashed and there are zombies everywhere.
This film is no gore fest but kudos to make up department because these zombies look fabolous, this film is more of a study or how one man could surivie in solitiude and loneliness for a long time.
Trapped in an aprtment block Sam is able to stock pile supplies but while he wont starve to death will his own mind be able to cope with the horror around him?
Notable mention for Denis Lavant who plays the zombie Sam traps in the lift who he keeps talking too.
A French film but filmed in English with a strong main character.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Hellraiser (1987) in Movies
May 20, 2020 (Updated May 21, 2020)
Iconic horror; progenitor of many mostly lousy sequels. An unscrupulous adventurer attempts to escape the clutches of sado-masochistic entities by recruiting his adulterous sister-in-law to provide the raw meat for his renewal (it was the 80s, everyone behaved like that under Thatcher).
Not quite the film an unsuspecting viewer might expect: the focus is mainly on the screwed-up Cotton family, especially nasty Uncle Frank; Pinhead, for all that he is on the poster, is in a very minor role (billed as 'Lead Cenobite'). Visually striking and with some interesting ideas, but the low budget is obvious and this is equally obviously a British movie desperately trying to appeal to an American audience. Where the film falls down is in its lack of focus and the fact that its central metaphor or argument is unclear (beyond the fact that the Cottons are a very dysfunctional bunch). Still, there have been worse debuts from writer-directors; it's just that not many of them go on to have nine sequels.
Not quite the film an unsuspecting viewer might expect: the focus is mainly on the screwed-up Cotton family, especially nasty Uncle Frank; Pinhead, for all that he is on the poster, is in a very minor role (billed as 'Lead Cenobite'). Visually striking and with some interesting ideas, but the low budget is obvious and this is equally obviously a British movie desperately trying to appeal to an American audience. Where the film falls down is in its lack of focus and the fact that its central metaphor or argument is unclear (beyond the fact that the Cottons are a very dysfunctional bunch). Still, there have been worse debuts from writer-directors; it's just that not many of them go on to have nine sequels.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Freaks Of Nature (2015) in Movies
Nov 29, 2019
Verdict: Silly Sci-Fi Horror Comedy
Story: Freaks of Nature starts as we head to Dillford, where humans, vampires and zombies leave side by side, we follow three high school students, Dag (Braun) who doesnāt want to follow in his fatherās footsteps, Petra (Davis) that has been crushing a vampire, hoping to get turned into one herself and Ned (Fadem) a school geek that is destiny for better things, but is tired of his parents dreams in his brother, deciding he wants to become a vampire.
When aliens arrive in the town, the vampires and zombies go on a feeding craze, where Dag, Petra and Ned, must stand together in an attempt to survive the alien invasion even if they are different species now, they must put these difference behind them to survive.
Thoughts on Freaks of Nature
Characters ā Dag comes from a normal family that sees him being in the middle of the high school hierarchy, he gets picked on by the jocks and just wants to be something more, waiting for the day he can be with his dream girl. Petra is dreaming of a vampire party, which sees her getting turned into one, looking for a chance to learn about her new blood lust. She hasnāt always fitted in, which has never bothered her. Ned is the smartest kid in school, his parents are more interested in their jock son, which sees them ignoring him more often than not, making him want to become dumber like the zombies. We do meet a host of other characters that are different a mix of humans, vampires and zombies each with their own stigma.
Performances ā Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis and Josh Fadem in the leading roles do bring out the colourful side of their characters even if they fit the generic types for a high school movie. We do have some big name comic actors that get their moments to shine too.
Story ā The story here follows three high school kids growing up in a world of humans, vampires and zombies when aliens visit causing chaos as the three unlikely friends must come together to save themselves and the town. This is meant to be more of a parody, more than a serious story, which for the most part is fine, it plays out like a zombie survival story when the outbreak just starts, finding a hiding place before figuring out what to do, while trying to deal with high school problems the three are facing. It isnāt as clever of a story as it thinks, which does leave parts of it feeling flat by the end.
Comedy/Horror/Sci-Fi ā The comedy is meant to be more parody, which tries to poke fun at the invasion genre, while the horror is meant to be about the creatures in horror, rather than being scary in anyway, with the aliens being the sci-fi side of the film, which is the biggest threat, but not focused on enough.
Settings ā The film is set in a small town which does bring the characters together through the problems they will be facing, how certain stories around town bring them together.
Scene of the Movie ā Opening attack.
That Moment That Annoyed Me ā Doesnāt get enough laughs for a comedy.
Final Thoughts ā This is a comedy that just doesnāt get enough laughs and ends up feeling flat by the end of the film.
Overall: Flat Comedy.
Story: Freaks of Nature starts as we head to Dillford, where humans, vampires and zombies leave side by side, we follow three high school students, Dag (Braun) who doesnāt want to follow in his fatherās footsteps, Petra (Davis) that has been crushing a vampire, hoping to get turned into one herself and Ned (Fadem) a school geek that is destiny for better things, but is tired of his parents dreams in his brother, deciding he wants to become a vampire.
When aliens arrive in the town, the vampires and zombies go on a feeding craze, where Dag, Petra and Ned, must stand together in an attempt to survive the alien invasion even if they are different species now, they must put these difference behind them to survive.
Thoughts on Freaks of Nature
Characters ā Dag comes from a normal family that sees him being in the middle of the high school hierarchy, he gets picked on by the jocks and just wants to be something more, waiting for the day he can be with his dream girl. Petra is dreaming of a vampire party, which sees her getting turned into one, looking for a chance to learn about her new blood lust. She hasnāt always fitted in, which has never bothered her. Ned is the smartest kid in school, his parents are more interested in their jock son, which sees them ignoring him more often than not, making him want to become dumber like the zombies. We do meet a host of other characters that are different a mix of humans, vampires and zombies each with their own stigma.
Performances ā Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis and Josh Fadem in the leading roles do bring out the colourful side of their characters even if they fit the generic types for a high school movie. We do have some big name comic actors that get their moments to shine too.
Story ā The story here follows three high school kids growing up in a world of humans, vampires and zombies when aliens visit causing chaos as the three unlikely friends must come together to save themselves and the town. This is meant to be more of a parody, more than a serious story, which for the most part is fine, it plays out like a zombie survival story when the outbreak just starts, finding a hiding place before figuring out what to do, while trying to deal with high school problems the three are facing. It isnāt as clever of a story as it thinks, which does leave parts of it feeling flat by the end.
Comedy/Horror/Sci-Fi ā The comedy is meant to be more parody, which tries to poke fun at the invasion genre, while the horror is meant to be about the creatures in horror, rather than being scary in anyway, with the aliens being the sci-fi side of the film, which is the biggest threat, but not focused on enough.
Settings ā The film is set in a small town which does bring the characters together through the problems they will be facing, how certain stories around town bring them together.
Scene of the Movie ā Opening attack.
That Moment That Annoyed Me ā Doesnāt get enough laughs for a comedy.
Final Thoughts ā This is a comedy that just doesnāt get enough laughs and ends up feeling flat by the end of the film.
Overall: Flat Comedy.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020) in Movies
Nov 13, 2020
Condemnable for the dubbing alone
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight is a Polish horror film about a group of technology dependent youths visiting an offline summer camp who are terrorised by a danger lurking in the woods.
The film follows a small group centred around Zosia (Julia Wieniawa), as they head out from the camp on a 3 day trek into the woods and encounter some very unfriendly locals. Iām afraid that from the very start, thereās nothing about this film that is particularly original. Pretty much every classic slasher horror is noticeably referenced here, from Friday the 13th to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and everything in between. It even drifts into sci-fi at one point. Some might say this is a homage to these films, but for me it was just a blatant copy. From the hillbilly bad guys in wooden cabins to the use of a machete, it all just felt so unoriginal. There was nothing at all in this that didnāt remind me of another, much better film. And thatās not even taking into account all of the clichĆ©d horror movie tropes that are thrown in throughout - Iāve lost count of the amount of times Iāve seen dismembered deer/wildlife and phone batteries that are conveniently dying to name but a few, and Nobody Sleeps in the Woods tonight canāt seem to avoid these.
Despite this, there are some (very few) positives. The score is surprisingly atmospheric and dramatic, and works so well to build some much needed tension. The practical special effects, at least in the death scenes, are also good and thereās a pretty decent amount of gore. However this is pretty much the only good things I can say about this film. Whilst the death effects might be good, the creature/enemy effects are severely lacking and they look very cheap and second rate. It doesnāt help that their characters are rather silly and have no real purpose other than to kill. And even their murdering appears to be nonsensical and sporadic ā for instance in one scene killing a character whoās outside yet completely ignoring those in tents a mere metres away. The youths donāt fare any better when it comes to characterisation either. They are your usual slasher movie group and aside from Zosia none have any real depth or back story, and for the most part they donāt live enough for you to care anyway.
But even considering all of the above, by far the worst crime of this film is the fact that itās dubbed. Dubbing is one of my personal pet peeves. I cannot abide watching anything where the sound doesnāt sync with actors mouths moving, especially when the dubbing isnāt intended as tongue in cheek. And worse still, Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight features the most cringeworthy dubbing Iāve ever heard, with some very stereotypical American voiceovers that are made worse by the cheesy script that tries to shoehorn in as many geeky pop cultures references that it can find. Within 10 minutes Iād had enough and I do wonder if this film couldāve been much more bearable has it just been subtitled instead.
Dubbing aside, this film is still pretty poor and riddled with so many clichĆ©s that you can barely discern any truly original ideas. If you want to watch a horror film like this, youād be better off watching the classic originals.
The film follows a small group centred around Zosia (Julia Wieniawa), as they head out from the camp on a 3 day trek into the woods and encounter some very unfriendly locals. Iām afraid that from the very start, thereās nothing about this film that is particularly original. Pretty much every classic slasher horror is noticeably referenced here, from Friday the 13th to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and everything in between. It even drifts into sci-fi at one point. Some might say this is a homage to these films, but for me it was just a blatant copy. From the hillbilly bad guys in wooden cabins to the use of a machete, it all just felt so unoriginal. There was nothing at all in this that didnāt remind me of another, much better film. And thatās not even taking into account all of the clichĆ©d horror movie tropes that are thrown in throughout - Iāve lost count of the amount of times Iāve seen dismembered deer/wildlife and phone batteries that are conveniently dying to name but a few, and Nobody Sleeps in the Woods tonight canāt seem to avoid these.
Despite this, there are some (very few) positives. The score is surprisingly atmospheric and dramatic, and works so well to build some much needed tension. The practical special effects, at least in the death scenes, are also good and thereās a pretty decent amount of gore. However this is pretty much the only good things I can say about this film. Whilst the death effects might be good, the creature/enemy effects are severely lacking and they look very cheap and second rate. It doesnāt help that their characters are rather silly and have no real purpose other than to kill. And even their murdering appears to be nonsensical and sporadic ā for instance in one scene killing a character whoās outside yet completely ignoring those in tents a mere metres away. The youths donāt fare any better when it comes to characterisation either. They are your usual slasher movie group and aside from Zosia none have any real depth or back story, and for the most part they donāt live enough for you to care anyway.
But even considering all of the above, by far the worst crime of this film is the fact that itās dubbed. Dubbing is one of my personal pet peeves. I cannot abide watching anything where the sound doesnāt sync with actors mouths moving, especially when the dubbing isnāt intended as tongue in cheek. And worse still, Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight features the most cringeworthy dubbing Iāve ever heard, with some very stereotypical American voiceovers that are made worse by the cheesy script that tries to shoehorn in as many geeky pop cultures references that it can find. Within 10 minutes Iād had enough and I do wonder if this film couldāve been much more bearable has it just been subtitled instead.
Dubbing aside, this film is still pretty poor and riddled with so many clichĆ©s that you can barely discern any truly original ideas. If you want to watch a horror film like this, youād be better off watching the classic originals.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Freaky (2021) in Movies
Apr 24, 2021
More body-switching horror mixed with a bit of comedy. Vince Vaughn was definitely the pull on this for me.
Millie's high school life is derailed when she switches places with a serial killer called The Butcher. She has 24 hours to work out how to switch back or she'll be trapped as a wanted criminal for the rest of her life.
This one... surprised me. I was hoping for an average slasher sort of film, all killer bit of filler, but I actually quite enjoyed the ride on Freaky.
Body swapping isn't a new idea, Big did it, 13 Going On 30, Chucky... sort of. It's a comforting sort of base that gives you room for fun, and in this instance, serial killer and teenage girl was a pretty good combo.
One thing to beware of is that this film is very gory. The beginning starts off as your typical teen horror and moves into the slasher part quite quickly. It's over the top in that ridiculous way that takes away some of the horror factor, and that's how I like these sorts of movies.
When it comes to the acting we get a collection of typical teens, there was nothing that seemed out of place. Solid acting to the expected stereotypes and it absolutely didn't rock the boat.
Vince Vaughn as our menacing murderer was quite terrifying for the moments we saw him in that role. But of course he spent most of the film as Millie. On this point my brain automatically went to the Jack Black comparison in the Jumanji films. His rendition of a teenage girl was great, and Vaughn's was just okay. While both of these roles were over the top, Vaughn's performance was "almost but not quite" and didn't sit right in Freaky.
The flip side of this was Kathryn Newton as Millie. As actual Millie I can't really remember anything about the performance, but as The Butcher there was a definite nutter vibe terminating from her. I'm not sure how they worked on the characters, for Newton the only real guidance was "psycho killer", and I think that left room for a little leeway on this side of the swap.
I was pleased that they took things into consideration during the swap. The struggle of adapting to the bodies was clear and continually there, it wasn't forgotten for the sake of getting on with the story. Millie possessed by The Butcher has a great interaction with another character, and this point is a big focus and heavy on the anxiety to watch because you're caught between a rock and a hard place about what you want the outcome to be.
There is one part of the movie that really weirded me out, I'm sure you'll be able to identify it too so I won't spoil it here. But it didn't feel necessary, it achieved nothing, and felt like it was inserted to get a reaction out of the viewer... exactly as it has here.
Freaky has a good balance between thriller, horror and comedy, and despite the imbalance in the acting/characters I found it to be a great watch. The foreknowledge of the general outcome of a body swap film (because let's face it, we all know how they end) leaves you the time to enjoy the nuttiness of everything else.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/04/freaky-movie-review.html
Millie's high school life is derailed when she switches places with a serial killer called The Butcher. She has 24 hours to work out how to switch back or she'll be trapped as a wanted criminal for the rest of her life.
This one... surprised me. I was hoping for an average slasher sort of film, all killer bit of filler, but I actually quite enjoyed the ride on Freaky.
Body swapping isn't a new idea, Big did it, 13 Going On 30, Chucky... sort of. It's a comforting sort of base that gives you room for fun, and in this instance, serial killer and teenage girl was a pretty good combo.
One thing to beware of is that this film is very gory. The beginning starts off as your typical teen horror and moves into the slasher part quite quickly. It's over the top in that ridiculous way that takes away some of the horror factor, and that's how I like these sorts of movies.
When it comes to the acting we get a collection of typical teens, there was nothing that seemed out of place. Solid acting to the expected stereotypes and it absolutely didn't rock the boat.
Vince Vaughn as our menacing murderer was quite terrifying for the moments we saw him in that role. But of course he spent most of the film as Millie. On this point my brain automatically went to the Jack Black comparison in the Jumanji films. His rendition of a teenage girl was great, and Vaughn's was just okay. While both of these roles were over the top, Vaughn's performance was "almost but not quite" and didn't sit right in Freaky.
The flip side of this was Kathryn Newton as Millie. As actual Millie I can't really remember anything about the performance, but as The Butcher there was a definite nutter vibe terminating from her. I'm not sure how they worked on the characters, for Newton the only real guidance was "psycho killer", and I think that left room for a little leeway on this side of the swap.
I was pleased that they took things into consideration during the swap. The struggle of adapting to the bodies was clear and continually there, it wasn't forgotten for the sake of getting on with the story. Millie possessed by The Butcher has a great interaction with another character, and this point is a big focus and heavy on the anxiety to watch because you're caught between a rock and a hard place about what you want the outcome to be.
There is one part of the movie that really weirded me out, I'm sure you'll be able to identify it too so I won't spoil it here. But it didn't feel necessary, it achieved nothing, and felt like it was inserted to get a reaction out of the viewer... exactly as it has here.
Freaky has a good balance between thriller, horror and comedy, and despite the imbalance in the acting/characters I found it to be a great watch. The foreknowledge of the general outcome of a body swap film (because let's face it, we all know how they end) leaves you the time to enjoy the nuttiness of everything else.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/04/freaky-movie-review.html