The latest by director Christopher Landon revives that same blend of humor, horror, and heart that made his Happy Death Day films so endearing and entertaining. Co-written with Michael Kennedy, Freaky gives a body-swapping twist to the slasher formula; think Freaky Friday meets Friday the 13th, with all of the endless charm you’d expect (review). That it happens to be releasing on a Friday the 13th is the icing on the blood-filled cake. It makes for a much-needed warm hug right about now.
To prepare for Freaky, here are five great slashers to get you in the spirit and help you pick out some of the homages. Most of which are clear influences on Landon’s neo-slasher. More importantly, these slashers offer more comfort viewing, serving as a welcome, entertaining distraction until Freaky’s release.
Friday the 13th
It should surprise no one that this seminal slasher makes for the obvious choice. This franchise served as overt inspiration for Freaky, both in setting and tone. Its Friday the 13th setting makes this pick a must watch, and a perfect double feature. In Sean S. Cunningham’s 1980 film, a group of camp counselors trying to reopen a summer camp finds themselves getting picked off one by one by an unseen assailant. In a shocking reveal, the killer turns out to be the unassuming Mrs. Voorhees, still bearing a grudge for the drowning of her son, Jason. In Freaky, no one suspects timid teen Millie (Kathryn Newton) of murder, making her body swap with the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) all the more dangerous.
Halloween
The opening sequence in Freaky is packed full of visual references to classic slashers, and you can bet that Halloween is among them. While Landon has cited John Carpenter as a massive influence on his horror output before, that’s most noticeable in one of the opening kills in Freaky. As the Blissfield Butcher stumbles upon and slays his way through a group of teens, look for him to pay his respects to Michael Myers in a massive way. Also, what better way to keep the Halloween spirit alive than with another revisit to this requisite slasher.
Sorority Row
Based on 1982’s The House on Sorority Row, this reimagining is surprisingly fun and full of creative kills. A group of sorority sisters finds themselves stalked by a masked killer after covering up a fellow sister’s death in a prank gone wrong. Among the first to die is the booze-loving Chugs (Margo Harshman), who arrives at her therapy appointment with a bottle of alcohol in tow. The killer uses it to their advantage, shoving the bottle down her throat. It’s fantastically creative, and you can expect Freaky to tip its hat to Sorority Row in terms of fun, likable characters, and gratifying kills.
Scream
In terms of opening hooks that reel you into a slasher, it’s hard to beat the king of them all in Scream. It established the tone, presented the killer’s modus operandi, and delivered a gruesome death that sent the clear message that no one is safe. Freaky pays its respects to Scream in many ways, but most noticeably in the opening sequence that demonstrates the Blissfield Butcher as a ruthless killing machine. Being that this is also a slasher-comedy, expect a wry wink to Wes Craven’s beloved slasher in a more humorous way.
The Final Girls
Like Happy Death Day, Todd Strauss-Schulson’s horror-comedy infused the slasher formula with heart, offering up heavy feels to complement the laughs. Still reeling from the loss of her mother, an ‘80s scream queen, Max (Taissa Farmiga) gets sucked into mom’s most famous slasher movie along with her friends. There, they must fight off the masked killer if they have any hope to survive. The Final Girls lovingly pokes fun at the tropes and archetypes of slashers, but it’s Max’s second chance at saying goodbye to her mother that sets this movie apart. It’s as much a sweet love letter to slashers as it is to grief and loss. In Freaky, Millie’s also struggling to adjust after a loss, and her emotional journey offers the same level of laughs and heart as Max’s. For a brief period, the Blissfield Butcher also dons a mask similar to the one favored by The Final Girls‘ Billy Murphy.
Freaky releases in theaters and drive-ins on Friday, November 13th.
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3640234/five-slashers-watch-ahead-freaky/
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