Originally titled 'Freaky Friday The 13th', this comedy-horror body-swap slasher is a mash-up of the two films squashed together to form that name. 'Freaky (2020)' is similar to Landon's previous 'Happy Death Day (2017)'; it takes a well-worn trope first established in a classic comedy and puts a horror movie spin on it while keeping its tongue planted firmly in its cheek. Where that film leans further into the whodunnit elements of its genre, this leans into the 'creative kill' gore that perforates many of its own genre's more derivative entries. Indeed, the opening sequence could be ripped straight out of a 'Friday The 13th (1980)' sequel, with Vaughn's gigantic Butcher basically being a stand-in for Jason Voorhees (with a dash of Michael Myers for good measure). The Butcher is a solid slasher villain, as stereotypically stoic and menacingly strong as he needs to be. The downside of this is that he's a mostly silent enigma whose motivations aren't clear. While this mimics the effect of his most direct inspiration, it undeniably makes for a less compelling presence - especially since the picture is more-or-less a two-hander that splits its time evenly between its hero and its villain. Still, this is a fairly small issue in the grand scheme of things. Though it starts out a little shaky and is, in general, rather stereotypical in an ever-so-slightly unsatisfying way, the flick eventually settles into itself and becomes quite a bit of fun. It's at its best when its body-swap story is in full swing because it stops feeling as though it's trying to ape a sub-genre and starts feeling as though it's trying to create its own. The main concept of the feature is slightly underused and the overall narrative seems sort of slight overall. The ending, too, feels like a reshoot and is honestly kind of underwhelming, appropriately blunt conclusion aside. However, the film is a solid slice of fun fluff pretty much for its entire duration. The characters are mostly compelling (the Vaughn as Newton and Newton as Vaughn dynamic is mostly entertaining, if not quite as convincing as it could have been) and the kill sequences are effectively gruesome. Plus, the piece does a good job of maintaining a tight pace and interspersing its sillier stuff with some fairly accomplished scare scenes. If you're willing to overlook some of its more glaring issues, it's generally an entertaining experience. It isn't brilliant, but it's good enough for what it is. 6/10.
