Why So Blu?

Freaky – Killer Switch Edition (Blu-ray Review)

It surely sucks not being able to get to see movies I’m very excited about in the theater. Freaky is one of those films. Yes, it did have a theatrical release, but I’m not heading back to the theater anytime soon. Luckily this was a Blumhouse film and theatrically did well considering its budget. It likely did terrific on its VOD premiere, which is how I saw it back in December.  Now, its arriving for even more consumption on Blu-ray, where I’m sure its going to be getting plenty of spins in this house. It has nice swath of short featurettes and a commentary from director Christopher Landon included as well as a digital code and the standard DVD version. The film arrives on Blu-ray February 9th. That gives you plenty of time to still pre-order it. You can do so by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.

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Film

Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler spends her days trying to survive high school and the cruel actions of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the latest target of the Butcher, the town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries. When the Butcher’s mystical dagger causes him and Millie to magically switch bodies, the frightened teen learns she has just 24 hours to get her identity back before she looks like a middle-aged maniac forever.

When it came to Happy Death Day, Christopher Landon blended the formula made famous with Groundhog Day with the slasher genre. Now, he’s taking the body swapping teen and adult Freaky Friday concept and making a slasher of it. Utilizing his fun sense of character and comedy that he adds to horror, Landon once again succeeds and produced what this reviewer considers to be one of the very best films of 2020.

Where Freaky is able to make a leap over Happy Death Day is in the gore department. This time, Landon is given the R rating and doesn’t hesitate to go town with the film. In fact, the first kill in this movie is perhaps one of the grooviest and most inventive slasher deaths I’ve ever seen as a longtime enthusiast in the genre. Where Happy Death Day had to insinuate or cut away, Freaky cuts right in and has a giggling good time as it does so.

Kathryn Newton and Vince Vaughn obviously are the main attraction here and both crush their roles. Humor and menace comes from both in different forms. Newton’s performance is especially amazing as she delivers both dread and big laughs with the twitch of an eyebrow. As once done for Jessica Rothe, Landon has found a new fantastic young female performer in a very different way and her own fashion. If you’re not left craving more movies with Newton in the lead after this, I don’t know what to tell you. Vaughn is pretty great and really showcases the kind of talent Jack Black has been boasting in the Jumanji movies. Its obviously funny just as a concept, but Vaughn adds more and really nails the chemistry with the teen supporting actors in the film that bring a sense of authenticity to it that goes beyond just the “Haha, young girl stuck in an old guy’s body” humor.

The best part is that either of them don’t overshadow the wonderful cast assembled here. There is a lot going on for playing with and fighting against minority and LGBTQ+ stereotypes in horror films. Both on humorous and deeper levels. Much of the suspense works in this film because these characters have been given depth and dimension in the script and also their performers really plug in and take the film to a whole other level.

Freaky was going to be solid from the jump, but that it achieves greatness is a telling tale of all the talents involved in the film. Christopher Landon is certainly making a mark here, with people now demanding a crossover with his Happy Death Day films and Freaky. And that’s a great problem to have and something I’d personally love to see. Go bonkers! Landon is transcending the slasher genre into something that feels more generally acceptable or enjoyable for all audiences while still tickling the slasher/horror fan’s interest greatly. Its a trait we haven’t seen since the likes of Scream some 25 years ago.

 

Video

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Layers: BD-50

Clarity/Detail: Freaky comes with a beautiful looking digital image on its Blu-ray debut. It features some really good contrast and handles the darker elements well. its a crisp image and cleanly shows some finer details in any given frame distance. Its a full looking image and what you’d expect from the top tier Blumhouse releases.

Depth:  Depth of field is pretty solid and Landon’s filmmaking helps to showcase this a little more than it probably could have been. The interiors of the houses look great with good pushback down hallways and around pillars. More open areas feels about apt in their scale. Movements are natural and smooth with no issues of blur or jitter resulting from rapid movement.

Black Levels: Blacks are deep and close to natural levels as a modern digitally shot movie can get. Its impressive what details aren’t lost in that as follicles, patterns and textures come through quite easily on fabrics, hair and surfaces. No crushing witnessed.

Color Reproduction: Colors are a mix between some natural and pop. The red leather jacket comes quite bold and striking. There are many neon lights and flashier areas that burst out in contrast to many of the more natural looking elements of the film.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones are natural and consistent from start to finish. Facial features and textures come through clear as days. Stubble, facial lines, make-up, lip texture, freckles and more are very discernible.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean

Audio

Audio Format(s): English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English Descriptive Video Service

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Dynamics: Freaky has a really roaring 5.1 track to boast. This thing is loud and sweeping through your room. The dynamics and range of the sound effects and score rage around your room with all sorts of efficiency to make a heightened reality experience. It utilizes all channels in the room and finds great balance in its presentation.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: There’s a good booming thump from the subwoofer. Many of the impalings, crashing, slamming and gunfire all have a good rumble to them. The score also rushes and vibrates quite soundly.

Surround Sound Presentation: The room is fully utilized here as the rear channels really build ambiance but also have their own offscreen contributions to add as well. Travel is excellent and this thing really sings around the room.

Dialogue Reproduction: Vocals are clear and crisp.

Extras

Freaky – Killer Switch Edition comes with the DVD edition and a redeemable digital code for the movie.

Audio Commentary

• With Co-Writer/Director Christopher Landon

Deleted Scenes (HD, 5:27) – 3 scenes.

Split Personalities: Millie Vs. The Butcher (HD, 2:24) – Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton (as well as other cast and crew) discuss the process and respect for one another they had in having to play their characters in each other’s bodies.

Crafting The Kills (HD, 3:35) – Landon talks about “going hard on the violence” and they talk about some of the details of the major kills (focusing a lot on the Alan Ruck kill) and the desire for the gore to be practical.

Christopher Landon’s Brand Of Horror (HD, 2:35) – Landon talk about his blend of horror and comedy along with how Freaky is somewhat of an adventure movie, too. Landon talks about the importance of visuals in the film as well as having energetic people filling out his set.

Final Girl Reframed (HD, 2:48) – While this one does focus on how Millie isn’t a traditional Final Girl, but Landon focuses on how he wanted to flip tropes on minority and gay characters in horror films as well.

Summary

Freaky is another outstanding horror effort from Christopher Landon, who truly is showing he has a recognizable personality and voice in filmmaking. Universal’s “Killer Switch Edition” comes with a terrific presentation of the film and provides some rather brief, but decently informative featurettes in addition to a commentary. If you enjoyed the Happy Death Day films and haven’t seen Freaky, just blind buy this one. Its also a high recommend from me just in general.

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