Freaky feat. Julieann Marie

Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun. Darny, darny! That's me, Millie. Ordinary, boring Millie. I love your dress. I think I saw it at Discount and Answer. Okay, so I was never the most popular. Homecomings this weekend. Booker is gonna be at the dance. And boys never really noticed me. Honestly, if this was a horror movie, I'd be one of the first ones to get killed. Like I said. I didn't get killed. Oh my god, why do I sound like that? I woke up in the killer's body. Hello, Sydney. Hi. Who is this? It's your killer host. My name is Parker, your resident horror fanatic. And I'm Julianne, your A24 whore. And welcome to. What's your favorite scary movie?

What's your favorite scary movie is a horror film podcast where we're on a journey to find our favorite scary movie one at a time. Whether you hate them or love them, join us and discover yours. Spoilers ahead, so plan your movie screening every weekend before the episode release. It's time to get freaky, freaky, freaky. Everybody glove your ass. I want to get freaky with you. Oh, you know, it's so nice that Freaky just decided to make us jealous of people who are willing to risk their lives to go to movie theaters for a couple weeks. I'm really happy about that. But the wait is no longer. We were able to watch Freaky right at home. And you know what?

I feel like there's some anti-blum house sentiment on this podcast sometimes. And I'm continuing it now. Hey, fuck you for putting this in movie theaters. Yeah. Fuck you, Jason Blum. I'll bleep it. We don't want to get freaky with you. Well, as you can tell by the beautiful melodic voice in your ears. No, that's not, I'm not talking about myself, but Julianne has joined me once again. Hello, guys. She's back for her what seems to have become monthly jaunt into the podcasting world. Good to have you. Merry Christmas. It's Merry Freaky. Merry Freaky. I like that. Merry Freaky. Freaky Christmas. Merry Freakness. That's the one. Happy freaky days. Freaky, freaky, freaky. It is out now on video on demand, so that means 2020.

And also it's$20. So yeah. I'm going to soon ask you what you think about that. But no spoilers. Freaky was directed and co-written by just the gay that we all know and love by now, Christopher Landon. And when I say we all love Christopher Landon, I would like to love Christopher Landon a little bit more than the rest of them. A little bit more than most. And and remember this for later the dire the writer of Paranormal Activity Four from the year 2012. Just lock that name into the noggin because it might come up sometimes. Like in like two minutes. Yeah. It was co-written by yet another gay. And I believe Julian, what was that drama on Twitter with somebody being like, freaky was good, but I can't believe some straight men were trying to write gay characters.

Yeah. You know, I'll refrain from using this person's name. So it's, you know, but yeah, there was a certain um, no, not like that, but like I I know of then. Like I used to watch some of their YouTube stuff. But yeah, this is a YouTube film critic who who's a fellow gay who uh accused the movie on Twitter of being like, oh, well, you know, it's kind of like, what was it? Like um Gay Best Friends. The gay best friend whose name I forget right now, but yeah, and he was like, Yeah, I just I hate when it's just like straight guys like watch, you know, it make make goobies about gay, and they were like, yo, excuse me, girl, we gotta talk.

Christopher Lanton and Michael Kennedy, who's also let me mention, um, he's a co-host of Attack of the Queer Wolf podcast on the Fangoria Network, which I think they're taking hiatus right now, but good good podcast. Um, yeah, I actually didn't. I was going to ask you, I thought that Michael Kennedy was famous, and then I looked at him on IMDB and was like, freaky seems to be kind of his his break. Yeah, yeah, this is his big thing. I think this is his first feature of writing, yeah. Um, yeah. I mean, I he was the writer on a series called Border Town, which I hadn't heard of. And it looks like he did IT an assistant animation producer on Family Guy.

Interesting. I didn't know that, huh? Yeah. Freaky stars, Mr. Vince Vaughn, and his comedic return as the butcher. Yeah, never heard of him. Never heard of him. No, he was in the psycho remake, that dreaded fucking remake, uh, in 1998. He was in the cell in 2000, he was in Six Souls from 2010 and a dozen other things. Well, those were the horror movies that I I that were on his. Is that all he's been in? Horror wise, yeah. Interesting. Have you seen The Cell? I haven't. No, I saw it when I was very young, and I remember it disturbing me. Also, Miss Catherine Newton as Millie, she's been in six episodes of Supernatural and Paranormal Activity Four, like Parker alluded to earlier.

Oh, you know, it's always nice, yeah, to have a little family connection in these productions. So her and Chris Landon, I guess, Baze. Yeah, yeah. I do you know how old she is? Is she a teenager or is she just like in her 20s? Do we know? I don't think so. I mean, she's she's definitely been in quite a few things recently, but I feel like her stardom is new. Yeah, because she looks young, but not like that young. Yeah, I would agree with that. Like, she doesn't she has like uh a girly face, but I don't think she's actually teenager. She's 23, so I mean pretty young. Okay. Okay. I know I'm 25. What have I achieved?

Only one of the greatest podcasts on earth. Um, I can't deny that. Well, oh yeah, she was in Big Little Lies. I wanted to stick to horror, but that seems to be like Yeah, I think that's the big deal. Yeah, also the ensemble includes Celeste O'Connor as Nyla, Misha Ossherovich, I'm guessing. Uh um, he's he plays Josh Detmer. Yeah, those are the two best friends. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hi everyone. Just popping in to say that on this podcast, we love queer representation, obviously, and I love how much queer representation there is in Freaky behind the scenes and on screen. Misha Osharovich, who plays Josh in this movie, identifies as non-binary and uses they then pronouns. Unfortunately, that is not something that I knew before this episode, and we use he, him pronouns throughout this episode for Misha Asharovich.

So please forgive us. It was an honest mistake, and we should have done our homework before this episode. I'm so excited that Freaky has even more queer representation than I was aware of. So please forgive us and enjoy the rest of this episode. Nicholas Stargle as Isaac, Dana Drury as Charlene, and Katie Finnoran as Cor as Coral. That's the mom. Oh, and then Charlene's a sister that I I forget. Okay. Yeah, and then Isaac is a little crush. He's the only one who actually looked like a teen. Yeah, he looks like a baby face. He's a boy toy. But you know, the the gay best friend kind of looked a little young too to me. Yeah, but I don't buy that he's a teen.

So Nicholas Stargill is 20. So almost a teen. Yeah, babies. Well, in case you've been living under an absolute rock, freaky is about um, according to IMDB, 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. The Rotten Tomatoes information as of December 5th, so it very well might have changed by the time you were listening to this. The average critic rating is 6.9 out of 10, and the average audience rating is a whopping 8.1 out of 10. The critics consensus reads an entertaining slasher with a gender-bending body swapping twist. This horror comedy juggles genres with freaky fun results. Well, I always love a pun.

Okay, Archie. Yeah, what what do you think, uh, Julianne? What would you what would be your kind of uh review summary of Freaky? I think it's kind of what I expected. It's it's a fun movie. Um, it's not a perfect movie by any means, and it doesn't have to be. I think it's I think there I think what saves this movie is because some of the writing is a little wonky. There is some moments that don't land, but the moments that do land really shine. And I think Vince Vaughn is a star in this movie. I would I loved, I I just when I saw him, when I heard he was gonna be in this movie, I was like, oh my god.

I I just the he's so funny and he's been in a lot of serious roles in the last few years. I love this return. He he went into so you tell he had fun with this. Um and I think uh there's a lot, it's gory. This this is like a this is like a a darker I said darker comedic, I should say, version of like Happy Death Day in some ways, which Michael Kennedy has said that that's he's very influenced by Happy Death Day. And of course Christopher Landon and Burton directed that. Um yeah, this is a this is a fun movie that's just I think that what people need right now. You know, people kind of need something a little lighthearted and just fun slasher that has a little heart to it.

Um, yeah, I mean, I don't I'm not as in love with it, I think, as some other people were, but I definitely like it for sure. Yeah, I would agree with you that I I really like Happy Death Day. I think it's a pretty good movie. I feel like freaky is what Happy Death Day like was trying to be when it was made. Um I always felt like Happy Death Day was holding back just a little bit. And so I think that the rating, yeah. I think like not that you not not that you need a R rating, but I think to really like get into like those the gore and like there was their sex in it, which I was like, oh shit, like there's the opening scene.

Yeah, yeah, like they're like they're really getting it on. And um there's it's bloody, it there's cool kills, like it's kind of the somewhat more adult version of Happy Death Day, which I think people kind of needed, so yeah, I I think I I respect that totally. Yeah, and I mean I might even say that's probably why Happy Death Day 2 even went further away from horror, is just because you know that's not what the movie could do. I didn't see it, I didn't see it, but um that was pretty fun. Yeah, but I mean I I I hear and I think I think this one might get a sequel too. It's I I wouldn't be surprised.

Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't because I mean it seems to really be sweeping uh the uh the culture right now. Here's before we really dive in, here's a question for you. Do you think that this movie would have done quite as well in a normal year? Because I kind of feel like they lucked out a bit with like every other major horror film kind of getting pushed to the side. People were kind of like aching for not that there's been plenty of new releases, but a lot of them had been more quiet, kind of been more like you know, quiet VOD stuff. Blumphouse is a very popular studio, despite what we think of it. But like I think people were just like, oh my god, the new Blumphouse movie that's not Halloween kills, and it's not this, it's not that.

I think it may have given it a little bit more of a life than it possibly would have in another year. I'm wondering, do you recall when this movie was originally supposed to come out? It's supposed to come out around now. Um I actually I had actually interviewed Michael Kennedy for something I wrote earlier this year. Um and he, I believe he's and this was back in May, I think. So at that point, he was kind of still like, he's like, I don't know if it's gonna be released this year. I'm kind of nervous because I really feel like I could really, I really need it, you know, in my life basically. Um, I need it for my income and stuff.

And uh he was he was a little anxious. I think he said they were aiming for Friday the 13th in November, so which is when it came out in theater. So yeah, I think that was that was the goal from day one. And I think what's tough about that, because yes, I do think this movie would be would find success in a regular year. But what I think is tough about that is that Halloween Kills would not be done yet. So I guess they figured, okay, well, it's a pretty good, like, like we'll we'll we'll put the marketing and we'll put the trailers in front of Halloween Kills. All that audience will be like, oh shit, I'm gonna go see that.

Another Blumhouse movie. And I think it had a good month run, they were thinking before. So maybe they thought, okay, well, this is like a nice like on the bandwagon kind of thing. But you know, I'm I'm no marketer, I'm no businessman. So yeah, I I I do I do think it's more successful now than it would have been, regardless. Cause like you said, like we're thirsty, we need something like this. It grant you not that it made a ton of money because nothing's making a ton of money right now. But you know, I think it just in terms of popularity and word of mouth, I think people are really talking about it because they're just aching for something, you know.

Yeah, yeah. Like if all of the circumstances of right now were the same, but they could make movie theater money from it with the popularity it has right now, it would it'd be making a ton, like more than enough to warrant a sequel. So I think probably they will make a sequel thinking, yeah, oh, like we want that again. And I think that probably a sequel will do better than it might have because people will more people are seeing freaky right now than they probably would have if it was in theaters. So possibly, sure, but um freaky. Uh similar to you, I had a really great time watching this. I was kind of skeptical going in because uh it's been a little overhyped, I think.

Yeah, and I think I just gotten a lot of hype from people who don't typically watch horror movies. Yeah, yeah. So I feel like it was getting a lot of it's really good for a horror movie hype, which I see straight through every time. Um so I was a little worried about it, and then I was pleasantly surprised. I had a really fun time. Um, like you were saying with the writing, I don't think like beat I for me, it wasn't like beat to beat the writing was strange, but I think overall big picture, the writing was strange that like when I look back, it's kind of the sequence of events, like there wasn't really necessarily meaning to it for me.

And I was getting a little frustrated watching it because it was just kind of like moving from event to event. And I wanted more of like things, I wanted things to develop instead of just like a two-hour chase with a finale. I and not to mention, I think the film, like I was starting to get a little bit like I was like, God, there's still like 15 minutes. Like I kind of felt like it was starting to wear its welcome a bit. Um I like you said, I think it's just it's a lot of like they could have cut this down, I think, to like an hour, a nice clean 90 minutes and been like boom, boom, boom, and done.

But they kind of just like they stretched it out and the ending's a little stretched out, and I was like, Jesus Christ, one that you know, but um, but yeah, I think uh I think like I as someone who has spoken once to Michael Kennedy, and as someone who and I the Christopher Land and I have not, but obviously, but um, and as someone who's listened to like his podcast a lot, I could I could hear his voice in like the writing and stuff. And I think some some of the jokes didn't always land, but some things did. And I think like I think um like it's let me try for example, like the black wiener joke was a little bit like you know, yeah.

But the wiener slapping in the stall, I laughed about that for like 10 minutes. Yeah, it was and I I had a laugh at um the the mean girl who eventually ends up dying. Um she could she's she's texting her friend and being like, oh uh Millie's a total cat vagetarian. And I just wasn't like, oh my god, I didn't think like like stupid shit like that made me laugh. Um yeah, it's like you I think this movie has had a little bit more balls than I was expecting, but I also people kept saying, Oh, it's has so much heart to it, it has so much heart, it's about grief, it's about this. And yes, that is there, but it's not really that present with it.

I'm like, that's a bit of a stretch to say it's about grief. I I would say happy death day is more about grief because she because she's you know ultimately she she kind of realizes how how sad and angry she was because of her mom, how losing her mom. Where like this movie's more like like the family is the they're struggling, but like it's more so like Millie not her herself is not as much, it's more of her mother, really. Yeah, and I actually had seen criticisms of this movie talking about how uh the the death, the parent death thing was a rehash of Happy Death Day. And what I think is I I like I think that Freaky found an interesting way of doing it in a different way than Happy Death Day, where you're hearing about the grief through the uh voice of the mom, and we're seeing the repercussions of the grief in the family.

And I thought that was interesting. I think, however, the actual expression of the grief is much more powerful and touching in happy death. Like I get a little teary in happy death day. Yeah, and this I was just kind of like, oh, that's sweet. Now, do we I know for a fact Michael Kennedy, I think I think he told me when I interviewed I think he he lost his father. Um, so I guess that was that he lost his father a few years ago. So I think that was coming at that's why he wrote this. Um, do we know if Christopher Lannon does he have both of his parents? Do we know if Christopher? I'm not sure.

Yeah, I'm curious. Um, because like you said, it has a little bit more that was more of a heart, I I thought, a little more touching, I thought, in Happy Death Day, but it's neither here nor there. I just uh I was expecting a little bit more emotional beats. I think there's likability here, but I don't I don't know if I was really like emotionally moved by it. Yeah, and I mean the moment even like the way it ends being goofy with asking him out on a date, like yeah, I mean it just didn't land, and also like the way that they expressed that there are problems in the family, like the mom seems totally lovely, and it's the the daughter that Charlene being kind of a douche, and then it's just like a but an empty bottle of Chardonnay, and it's like, excuse me, I can down a bottle of Chardonnay, and I don't think I have a problem.

So, like I don't know, I thought that was a little sloppy. Well, she did sleep through. Well, yeah, that was pretty bad. Well, I mean, come on. I mean, it's like and never even apologize is like, hey, you were just killed, based could have been because I did this. So now, did you catch? I I don't I I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, and maybe I don't know. I I tweeted it out earlier. I was like, I did appreciate how because there's there's a lot of references in this movie, some are too on the nose. Like there's one that has strode, like as in Lori Schrode from Halloween on um on a team player's back.

And I was like, okay, you know, a couple and a Friday the 13th, I was like, okay, we get it, like kind of thing. Um, but I did appreciate if this was intentional, I don't know, but there's the scene where Vince Fawn as as Millie is in, he's hiding in the dressing room, the discount store where her mom works, and and they're starting to kind of talk through through the door, and her mom's starting to like not like hit on hit on him slash her, but like just kind of like, oh, like I, you know, let me see like the polo on you. I'll check it out. And it was it's almost like a back to the future reference where when he goes when Marty McFly goes back in time and his mom as a younger girl doesn't know it's him and starts like flirting with them.

I kind of thought that was a little interesting. It's like it's like a back to the future kind of dig. Um I've never seen that. Yeah, okay. But yeah, but it's a pretty iconic, you know. Yeah. Somebody did um tweet like side-by-side clips of the movie and like famous horror shots. And yeah, they line up. Some of them are a stretch, but whatever. Um, and they're not in any sort of sequence, which is what would have really, you know, said something. But Christopher Landon retweeted it and said he liked it. So go check it out. Um, I want to start with what I think is actually the gem of the movie, the standout, the highlight, which is the cold open.

The cold open was so good. Yeah. Yeah, it was cool. Um, I actually for a minute I was like, I thought that was I thought she was the main character. And I was like, wait, I I I I just I don't know Katherine Newton well enough to be like, oh, that's not Catherine Newton. I was like, oh, it's they're two blondes. I'm like, that's Catherine Newton. And I was like, oh shit. And he just and he just impales her on whatever that was, and she's she's done, all the kids die, and I'm like, oh fuck, what the hell's gonna happen now? Then I'm like, oh, they're setting up as to this whole what was that thing called?

Uh something field butcher. No, I'm saying like the debula or something. Yeah, the dola, whatever. Yeah, I was like, oh, that's where this is going. So well, what I liked about it is like you said earlier, this first like I it was like 10 whole minutes. First 10 minutes that really like was like, hey, if you thought that this was going to be another Happy Death Day PG 13 teen movie, like, no, yeah, it's not. Like, it's got a lot of violence, it's got, I think, the best kills of the movie, and it's got sacks, it's got some dirty jokes that were funny. Um, I mean, some of them I've seen, like the wine bottle and the throat, I've seen that in other movies, but it was done really cool here where it's like the bulging and then slicing through the throat, the toilet seat to the head.

That was not even funny to me. Like, I thought that was disturbing and violent, like that was gross. Um, and then, like you said, the the impaling on the spear, how he threw it into the wall, and you're like, Oh, he missed lol. And then he slams incredible, and then almost like a scream moment where the parents get home and the daughters like how sad. Yeah, yeah. That was they're like, What the fuck? And then it just cuts, and I'm like, Oh shit, yeah. It's yeah, I I I think this movie had a little bit more brass balls than I was expecting. Um, we we meet Millie and her family after that. Well, before that, I think that the font that they're using for the title and the the um yeah, the title card and the different days, I thought it was hideous.

Yeah, yeah, it's um the title card itself I kind of liked. I thought it was a little, it was a little kind of bloody and different, but I think I agreed that I kind of bugged me. Like I was like so like hit the nail on the head. Like it was just kind of like Wednesday the 11th, boom, Thursday the 12th, boom, Friday the 13th, dun dun dun. I'm like, oh wow, what a shocker. We didn't see that coming. It just it felt very like okay, we get it kind of thing. I just mean literally, I thought the text was ugly. Yeah, I uh yeah, I mean, I don't know. It's like put out some extra money for a prettier font.

They only they bum house gives them like five dollars, Parker. I mean, what do you expect? Uh, do you want to hear my hot take about this movie? What's your hot take? I thought Catherine Newton was horrible. I I did not like uh like when she's being Millie, I thought she was fine, but when she's being the butcher, I thought she was so boring. I like it was almost like excruciating to watch her. Yeah, she doesn't really have a lot to do, I guess. I mean, I you know, I don't know how else she could have played it, but yeah, I agree. I mean, when yeah, she's very sweet and likable as Millie. Like, I I I liked her, I could see myself within her.

But I will say before we get into it too, I will say I cannot stand, cannot stand when movies cast beautiful girls, very attractive people, and they're supposed to be so bullied, and they're so and I'm like, and she, oh, you're wearing discount clothes. I'm like, oh stop. She's cute, she's very attractive. I mean, I know everyone gets bullied at some point. I get that, but like it's kind of just like, are you serious? Like, she's that bullied. Well, I have another, I have a I have a hot take about this as well. Um, I think that it's half and half. I feel less extreme because I've seen the same criticism from other people. And at first I was like, you know, just because someone is pretty or beautiful does not mean that they're going to be popular.

So, like, you know, in high school, these are probably peers that she's been with for a long time. Maybe she's dweeby and that's what they're bullying her for. And you know, confidence is a big piece of like being hot because she's pretty, but they're treating her like she's not hot. And you know, she's kind of like, mm-mm, whimsy. And so I was fine with it until there's a moment, I think, on the football field, where they literally say, like, she's ugly. Yes. Only beaver, nobody would touch. And then you brown back her face, she's sort of doable. Oh, are you serious? She's figured a stop it. Yeah, like so. I thought all of it up until that was fine.

Like, I was like, okay, yeah, she just seems like a dweeb. But then in that moment, I was like, no, she's objectively still beautiful. What I think is my issue with her, I I honestly think it's more an issue of what she was probably direct, how she was directed, because like she's trying to give us Michael Myers, she's moving excruciatingly slow, and she's trying to do these creepy looks. And I honestly just wish she would have given me more Jack Nicholson. Like, why couldn't she have been like a more vocal and crazed killer? I think that would have been more exciting than this shrimpy gal trying to do like these death stares that just didn't really do anything for me.

Now, how how do we feel? I I don't I don't think it's an issue per se. I think the movie makes up for it eventually, but I like as the movie goes on, first of all, she takes maybe five minutes to be shocked at her new appearance, which I was like, I would be a little bit more horrified than just like five minutes in the mirror, like, oh my god, it's not me. I I'd be like mortified for a good like several hours. Um, but like she but she starts to become empowered in this new male body. And I think that's a little weird choice. And and again, at the end, it kind of makes up for it because there's a little cute little monologue.

But you know, I have to admit in a really strange way that it hasn't been all bad. What do you mean? I don't know. It's just, you know, uh I felt oddly empowered being in this body. Like invincible or kind of badass. I know it's um it's ridiculous, but uh uh I guess when you're uh when you're someone like me and you you know you've been bullied most of your life and sort of just put down a lot, but uh yeah, it it it does feel kinda good to feel strong for once. Strength doesn't come from size, it doesn't come from up here and in there, and you are a lot stronger than you think. Some of the monologues in this movie were a little bit, I was like, teenagers don't talk like that.

Um I know I'm not a teenager, I'm 30, I know, god forbid. But I just yeah, you're not you don't know about teenagers, Julianne. I know other people on Twitter do, I know. Um no, but her crush, who's very who's just so mature and so charming for a teenage boy, is just like, you know, strength comes from your mind and your heart. And he's he's not wrong, right? It's a nice thing to say. He's not wrong, but I'm just like prior to all that, I'm like, she was she was feeling like I'm so empowered. I'm so I can bully people who were, you know, mean to me. And I get that, but it's also like the messaging is a little bit weird.

I'm like, oh, so she's empowered by being in a white man's body. Like it's it's a little weird at first, right? Like, yeah, I think what's interesting about it is you know, the Rotten Tomatoes consensus said that it's uh interesting body swapping, gender bending twist. I think the body swapping, boring. The gender bending, I think, is what's interesting because that's what previous Freaky Friday movies haven't done. And so, you know, we get jokes about you know the slapping penis, Catherine Newton kind of squeezes her boobs and stuff, you know. So there's kind of that thing that we've seen in other movies. But then I think the movie does spend more time talking a little bit more about how you know Cat and Catherine Newton thinks she's weak.

And uh when the butcher is in Catherine Newton, he says, like it talks about how weird it is to be so weak. And like I think in the second ending, he says, you know, I understand the weakness you feel, and you know, the exact opposite when Millie is in, or when yeah, Millie is in the butcher, um, you know, she talks about how the physical strength of being in his body is empowering. I validate what you say because that's interesting, and I hadn't thought about that. What I was thinking in the moment is more that she had to feel powerful physically to feel powerful, like emotionally and mentally. Yeah, and I like that. And there's even this moment that's you know, it's a joke, but I also thought it was interesting when Catherine Newton is tied up to that chair.

Then we better get moving. What about her? Pronouns Christ, what about him? I just I thought that you know, that's supposed to be funny and kind of like, oh, teens are so woke. But at the same time, it's kind of I think we know we're talking about queer filmmakers and queer characters, like there is something queer about how she is confident in a man's body. And I'm not saying that she has any sort of gender identity question here, but I do think that the way that men and women are empowered both socially and just in their natural physical forms, I think that that's an interesting question for this movie. That's also a queer question. That's um, I mean, and that that that might be something that's said about just socially just social construction of gender.

It's just like, you know, oh, like if I if I'm walking down the street as a petite woman that I am, I should be a little bit more scared as opposed to if I was a big burly, you know, six four man, which I think Vince Bond's pretty tall, as far as I know. Um, you know, then it's like people are afraid of me. Yeah, I mean, that definitely makes sense. I just thought it was a little interesting. I'm like, that's interesting that she's so empowered, and I'm like, weird. It's it's a little bit bizarre. But then, like, like I said, the movie makes up for it. But yeah, well, and the butcher in Millie is making comments about how weak he is in that body, but he's still killing people, killing adult men.

So it's not that she's weaker, it's that it's just there are differences between men and women, and that this movie is questioning that kind of binary thinking. I wanted to talk just on the topic of queerness towards the end of the movie. The crush, what's his name? Isaac. Isaac is in the back of the car with Millie and Vince Vaughn's body, and I thought that one, this scene is a really hilarious just gag because that's not something that would in any world, in any reality, happen. But what I thought the twist of the movie is going to be is that maybe Isaac did like Millie, but I thought that he was just going to be like, I'm gay, I like you like this.

Yeah, that's that would be that would have been interesting. Like, oh shit, yeah, that's I would have loved that. That um because they literally kiss, like there is lip smacking noises. I wrote that down in my notes. I was like, oh wow, if they got Vince Vaughn to kiss like a pretty, you know, like a younger, young adult male. Oh, his pleasure. That's fascinating, yeah. Um, no, because I uh I I mean I don't know a ton about Vince Vaughn, but like I do know people gave him a bunch of shit because he was kind of like not like supportive of Trump, but just like I don't know, not like not as outspoken as he could have been against Trump.

And I think and I I I know for a fact he was he was in a couple movies that were a little bit more conservative leaning, dragged across dragged across concrete, which I have not seen, but I I've heard the discourse about it. And like I think even maybe was he in a synestate film possibly. Um these are things I um don't quote me, but I as I I believe that that was the case. So I I'm surprised, like, you know, maybe he's not as uh straight laced as we thought. Maybe he's open to uh I I think it's cool that he took this role on, be quite frank. I thought he was awesome and I thought he was hilarious.

Yeah, I mean, I think that he is the the shining point of the movie, like he is what I kept wanting to see, and his characterization of being Millie in the bot, like I didn't think that it was like over dramatic or like I it would be easy for it to become like a very irritating caricature, and I thought that like there was a lot of subtlety that was nice to it, and it wasn't all like and stuff like that, right? And then, like you said, like kissing a man, like I think you know, the whole point of the movie is that he's this massive, strong macho physical thing. And so I think that like it's important for you know people that appear that way to be like, hey, it's no big deal.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I I was right, he wasn't dragged across concrete, which was produced by Cinestate and Dallas Sunier from the Cinestate Empire that has since fallen. But yeah, so I you know, it's just it's just it's cool. It's cool that he's he's taking on more liberal, uh liberal friendly uh filmmakers and and movies. Good for him. No, um, how do we feel about everyone else? How do we feel about the friends in it? What what do you what do you think? Because we m as we alluded to earlier, there was a certain film critic that thought that two straight guys wrote wrote this movie, and he thought that the the gay best friend whose name I again keep fucking forgetting, um Josh, he was kind of like uh uh you know a cliche, he was kind of like whatever.

What do you think? Well, I don't know why you think I'm gay. Gross. Kidding um, you know, one point number one when people get mad about there being a cliche, flamboyant gay character. First of all, they're real people like that. So yeah, yeah. So I always get annoyed when especially gay critics are like, why'd you have to play it this way? Which I get when there's a straight writer. It's like, okay, yeah, that is a cliche, and you're you're giving us the caricature of what you think a gay person is. But at the same time, like they're flamboyant, loud, over-the-top people. And I think that especially for young gay people right now who feel more empowered to be gay and outspoken, I think that that is uh can be an accurate portrayal.

But I mean, at the same time, as we saw with the jock who tried to uh overpower Josh, that character at the end, and you know, get a little smooch in. I mean, not all gay people necessarily one identify as gay or are that stereotype. But two, I what I liked about the gay character is that that's the character I thought I thought it was a complex character. Because one, we get I I like that we kind of get multiple sides of each character. Uh, I think that Nyla, the black friend, she was probably the character that we saw the least of, if I remember correctly. But like the gay character, we saw his mom, uh, and he had you know the moment with the jock, which I thought was an interesting like development moment because he wasn't just all horny.

He was like, Hey, no, you will not be kissing me. Like, I'm trying to do stuff right now. Um, but what I thought was interesting about the gay character is that he seems to be the character that they, you know, this movie is doing what a lot of movies recently have been unsuccessful at at trying to be ultra PC and um like woke. But what I liked about the gay character is that all of the not PC kind of offensive things he was saying. It's just a stupid dance. Why do you want to go anyway? I have to shoot it for your book. I'm in it for the drunk straight boys who will suddenly realize they're fluid.

That sounds kind of rapey. Good. Have you seen what's on the menu in this town? Oh, like, can you say that? Um, but I think that it works because or it it makes a complex, asks a complex question because it's a character that by including him, there is a degree of wokeness. But in his dialogue, you know, he's kind of defying that. I thought that was interesting. Yeah, I mean, I uh that they're all likable for sure. I like the two friends. I really I I was cracking up at the one the the scene where Millie in Vince Vaughn's body is running around in the school and he's trying, or she is, I should say, she's trying to yeah, yeah.

I mean, it's suddenly her and his body. She's trying to convince her friends, like, no, guys, really, it's me. And like, I just I was dying, like they they were trying to, they were doing everything they could. And the sequence goes on for a while, like you normally like you, like you would. You're like, what the fuck? Get away from me, you know. I was dying, and like, and then finally he's like, Listen, let's sit down, let's talk about it. We're we're all messed up and bruised, let's just sit and have a conversation. I thought that was really genius. Like it was really good communic timing. Um, yeah, I thought, I mean, like I said before, I think some of some of the dialogue didn't really work, and some things did.

Like, I there was one point, Nyla, in the beginning, she's like preaching and lecturing to Millie and saying, you know, you have to live for yourself and you have to blah blah blah blah. And I was like, she's very right, she's absolutely true. But like, is that how teenagers talk to each other? Like, I don't know. I don't know if and also it was like a scream moment where she's he's like, Your dad's been dead for a year, shouldn't you like get a home? Right, it's like it's it's only been a year, girl. Like, I yeah, I it was interesting. It's very Sydney Prescott where it's like, you know, time to move on. Like, it's like, no, it's not just like this, she's doing pretty she's hanging in there, she's she's you know, she's doing okay, like leave her be.

She's trying to deal with it, but um, yeah, um I don't know. Do we think that we kind of alluded to earlier, but do we think this movie could have used more about the grief in there or or nah? Is fine the way it was? No, I mean, I think if anything, this movie could have been more silly. Like, I think it tries to be too heartwarming, and that sometimes, like, I don't know, like kill a couple more characters, like for how bloody it was, like, there was a lot of scene, like, there was there were quite long stretches of time with no violence or horror. And so, like, if anything, like crank it up, you're at a party full of drinking teenagers.

I thought she was going to come out with that chainsaw and just start hacking heads. That would have been crazy. Um, yeah, it's this movie is ridiculous, but like you said, not ridiculous enough at points, I think. Yeah, like it's her killing the the wood shop teacher, like great kill, probably one of the best of the movies. Um, and that was a character we obviously wanted to die. They set up for us to want him to die, right? But at the same time, like that that scene felt like it was right there specifically because it was like the audience is bored, we gotta kill someone. Yeah, and what and I'm sorry, but like that guy was a fucking dick.

And yes, I have had dick teachers in high school and college, absolutely, but is he really gonna sit there and throw down with the with a teenage girl? No, that's that's not gonna happen. I mean, like, I was a little bit like, okay, guys, like you know, a verbal fight, and then maybe she pushes them and shoves them. That would be more real realistic, but it's almost like they're going head to head in like a physical fight with a teenage girl. It was a little bit like I think honestly, I thought some of the verbal abuse he was spewing, spitting, was uh was way more. Um I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, like this, like nobody would be allowed to say that.

People in the class would be reporting that. I thought that him just repeatedly kicking her, I thought that was I thought that was the true sign of like, oh, this is just a bad person. Like this is something that he's it like it took her attacking him, but this is something he wanted to do. Where some of the verbal stuff, I was like, uh but really though, I mean, she wasn't like, I mean, she didn't even get a cop in attitude with him at any point in the movie. I was just like, this is extreme. It was a little bit like again, this movie is ridiculous and it's not meant to be taken literally, but I just I was a little bit like okay, that would never happen, like stop.

Like, but yeah, my other thought that my so I have one more complaint, and I'm going to start with a a silly and turn it into a larger discussion because my thought is that if you were uh a serial killer who dresses the way that Vince Vaughn's character dresses, and then you were transported into the body of a young woman, would you be looking for a hot leather jacket and putting on a full face of makeup? Right. I was like, girl. Yeah, I thought that was bizarre because it's kind of like a makeover moment, and it's like, why would this be the makeover? Um and then when she enters the school, and this is another over-the-top moment, and it's all it's slow motion.

It goes on for like minutes, and I'm like, okay, we got it. No, no, that was incredible. Shut up. Looking over on the side, and there's, and I was like, this is so I was like, this is the gayest joke ever. There's a guy, there's a teenage boy staring at her, and he's holding like a water bottle or something, and he squeezes it, and it's all it looks like supposed to be like jizz coming out. And I was like, Really? Are you are we really gonna go there? Like it was a little, it was a little not. I liked that part. It's pretty. Um, and she was pretty too. So I get it. Yeah, some gays definitely made this.

But my big complaint is that, and I don't I don't know how the movie would have done it differently. I don't know how to accomplish this, but uh uh just by the end of it, I was like, oh, Vince Wan. Has to die. Like, I just I liked him way more by the end of the movie. And I think that's just because Millie was such a wishy-washy at the beginning, and we didn't really get anything that was like, oh, she's kind of cool until she was in Vince Vaughn's body. That may so maybe that, but I because again, like they need to get on with the action. I want to see the body swap, but at the same time, it's just like Vince Vaughn is so likable as Millie, and Millie is not particularly likable as herself.

He's the heart of the movie for sure. Um, you know, I I liked her a little bit more than you did. I thought the set the setup in the beginning, like I did feel for her. Um, but yeah, I agree. Like they could have done a little bit better job with that, I think. Um, but yeah, I didn't, I will admit, yeah, I kind of became a little bit dis I was like, oh, when he when Vince Vaughn goes back into his normal body, I'm like, oh, like I was a little disappointed. Yeah. Um like maybe the watch could have been right, and uh they could have explained to the sister what had happened, and they would have like set up some sort of witness protection situation, and Vince Vaughn could have been fun forever.

I mean, that would have been a twist that no one would have seen coming because no these movies don't do anything that ballsy where it's like, hey, actually, you know what? This person's happy in their new body. That could be an interesting allegory for people finding them their new identity and in their new, yeah, I mean, changing themselves, changing their gender. Uh, but uh realistically, again, not that this movie is realistic, but I think uh what I think um, you know, it wasn't really her this wasn't her choice, and it's a little bit unfair to, you know, she she didn't consensually want to just switch bodies, so yeah. Uh and so my last kind of thought about the actual like movie moving is in my notes, I uh you know, I do a system of bullets where I'll write the scene and then I'll indent with my thoughts about the scene, and this scene it says second ending as main heading, and then the only note underneath it says no.

No. Um, like I said before, I think this movie overstays its welcome. I think this was, I was like, okay, it's done. And then I'm like, okay, it's not done. Then I'm like, for God's sakes, and then it's the final fight scene where Vince Vaughn comes into their home and they're all fighting a mob, and which is cool. I I understand they wanted to make a scene that kind of is empowering to all this the women in her family. I get that, but it took so damn long to get there. I was like, okay, are we gonna are we gonna kill them or not? Let's get let's let's move on. Like I was a little bit like, all right, you know.

That's the thing is I thought, like, you know, the first ending, it's generic, it's corny, it's not particularly exciting. The second ending is something that I would if the movie had ended after the like ambulancing. Uh, the second ending is something that have been like, wow, I wish there would have been some big blowout between, you know, the two of them. But and uh so the reason that that exists is because I guess there was just no way for them to be able to convince the mom and sister that uh the body swap had happened. So they had to have him switch back, I guess, before that happened. But the the sequence of events, how did he get out of that ambulance?

Like what happened? Like it just was so disjointed to me. And then I just really didn't care for it while it was happening. I thought even the action wasn't particularly tight in that scene, and uh it just really it was very um screen for hospital. Screen for hospital. It was uh of course, it was very, you know, Michael Myers comes back and he oh, he's not really dead. Like, yeah. I mean, it was I think they were paying homage to stuff like that, which which is fine. Um definitely I mean I actually like the hospital scene. Don't you know, don't tell. I think it's I think it's great. I think it's a great ending, yeah. But yeah, it's this one felt a little bit like it was kind of dragging.

Like that screen four felt like it needed that. This feels almost like I could have cut some aspects out and just went like straight back to you know, yeah. Well, that's what I'm saying. Like it it's a challenge, it would be difficult. Like somebody more creative than me who writes screenplays would have to come up with this, but um there is a way to combine the two endings so that it happens more concisely, and that would have been the winner, right? And not to mention, too, like, I mean, how the hell are like people are gonna buy like people? She had witnesses, right? People did see her kill people in in her in in Catherine Newton's body, right?

So, like, how is she not gonna get in trouble for anything? I mean, there had to be someone who witnessed something because she killed all those all those teenagers, all those frat boys out and stuff, like um you know, frat boy-esque people. Like, she killed all those people, like no one saw anything. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I definitely thought, like, I guess in a case like that, they're not going to be investigating, but I thought a quick fingerprint thing, and like she's gone. Yeah, so right. I don't know. Yeah, that's a little sketchy, but you know, alas, it's a horror movie. Uh it's unfortunate that sometimes we have to just say we can't think too hard about it.

Right, right, right. Julianne, I'm curious. I'm curious. What would you say from Freaky is your most memorable murder? I'm gonna go with the teacher, the wood shop teacher dying in the in the the wood, the whatever that was. Yeah, I I only I yeah, um, only because I think that was the most satisfying because I just I hated him so much that I was just like, okay, how the fuck is this guy gonna die? And uh yeah, I think I mean there there was there were a really there was a ton of cool gorgeous, a ton of cool kills in this movie, but I think that one was just the most satisfying. Yeah, I agree. And uh also what's great about that kill is that it's not just the buildup, which is always the best part of the kill, but also it's the kill happens.

But I what I'm finding recently is that as much as I love the chase and the suspense and the buildup to the kill, the kills that really stick with me are the ones that give you the shock of the kill and then kind of give you the opposite buildup of like the kill keeps going. So, like you see the kill and then you see it go through his whole body and his body like splits. It's disgusting. And there there must have been some serious we uh practical effects going on because the blood and the gore was absolutely divine. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, they they put their budget to things that that they should, which was the core effects.

Yeah, we love to see it. Um, and I am tempted to agree with you, but just for fun, I'm going to say that in a horror comedy, I like I like a kill with a zing to it. And so I'm going to go back to the cold open and when he slams that girl onto that spear, it was it was a shock. I just I had forgotten the spear was there, and then it was so funny the way it had been like set up and then taken through like a joke. I just thought that was hilarious. I loved it. I just care, yeah, absolutely. And I I thought that it was kind of cool, like even with uh the girl, the mean girl getting shoved into the freezer.

Yeah, rich school. I thought I thought it was a heater thing at first, and I was like, Oh god, she's gonna burn, it's gonna be all and I was like, Oh no, she's cracking in half, and she fell over and it was all ice, and I was like, Oh, this is very Jack Nicholson and The Shining. That's cool. So it was it was different. Yeah, there definitely some cool stuff in here. I dug it in. We need more. Don't give someone a chainsaw that they're not going to use too much. Um, yeah, yeah, yeah. On a scary scale from one to five, how would you rate for ye? I think probably a two, and that's mainly just because of the cold opening, like you said, that that was a good opening.

Um, otherwise, the rest of the movie is not really scary. I mean, I don't think Catherine Newton is scary as the butcher when she it's comes, yeah. So probably just a two. Yeah. Uh, I want a whole movie that cold open. It was so good. Yeah, I'm going to agree with you. It's a two, and I think it's mainly for the gore. Um, just because, you know, people uh when I sometimes do this podcast with other co-hosts that you may have heard, they seem to think that scary scale like is fear is not limited to one thing. And when you're thinking about a scary scale for, you know, if I were to tell someone else who doesn't watch horror how scary freaky is, I wouldn't just be considering like, oh, my nails were bitten down to the nubs.

Like, no, like gore is a real type of scare. Yeah. And you know, uh like how horrific is this movie that that's what you're at? Yeah, yeah. And so I think that this deserves a little bit, but not that much. So too. Um, now before I ask if you think this is a smash or no, I'll just ask you a two-part question. A two-part question. The first part of the question is, would you give this a smash or a slash? And the second part of the question is uh do you think this movie is worth$20 to rent? Okay, question one. Yes, I would get freaky with freaky. Um, yeah, I I give it a smash. Yeah, I think this movie is fun.

I think I think this movie is something that we've uh we haven't had a ton of good fun horror, I think. You know, we didn't yeah, which I and I'll be honest, I definitely prefer my you know uh moody kind of stuff like that. But when it when a good fun horror comedy comes along and it works for the for much of it, absolutely, absolutely smash. Um so I think it's worth$20. Well, you know, listen, I I I don't think it's when I probably would have waited um until it maybe was streaming somewhere or something. However, these are dire circumstances right now, and filmmakers need to make money. And unfortunately, like even though it sounds like it's like, oh,$20, like you know, it's not really the the same.

I I sent you that article the other day that someone wrote about how like VOD prices are not the same as what you would get from the film from you know, from like a theater. So you know, this movie even though it's it did okay, but it really didn't do that great because there's no theaters open. So it's like these filmmakers, you know, they they they need your money. So if we could support them right now, you know, I know it's kind of a it's a nice chunk of change. I think I'd I would rather own something for$20 as opposed to just renting it for 20 for 48 hours or whatever. But um I you know, I I think if you like what we've said, if you haven't already seen this, why are you here?

Because we spoiled it. But if you if you if you if you think that this is your if this is your jam, then yeah, I think I I would probably just buy it and then you could you just own it and watch it again. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, so I would give this movie a smash as well, but I think a little lighter of a smash than you. Um, and it goes into my no, I'm there too. I'm not like I'm not in love with this movie, but you know, yeah. And I mean, you say you like your movies moody. I like fun. I want to, I love I'm a I'm an absolute slut for a horror comedy.

I love it. Yeah. Um, but on the side of the light smash, I would pay$20 to rent this, but not again. This movie is a a movie I would watch once. And there are there are parts of it that I will remember. And maybe even in 10 years or something, I'll be like, oh, I remember this really funny part. I should rewatch that. And uh I'm I'll probably be disappointed when I rewatch it in 10 years. So this movie's this movie's more like I would go watch YouTube clips from it than I'd actually watch the whole movie again. Does that make sense? Yeah, and I also think that this movie, unfortunately, since we're in a pandemic, uh, this was not possible.

But if I were to watch it again, the only situation I'd watch it again is with a group of friends, and then I'd probably have a fun time, but I'm not gonna watch it again by myself. Yeah, yeah. So Julianne, of our season three offerings, what's your favorite scary movie? I am going to go with I think Terrifier. Wow. Yeah, I think um I I think that one is uh that was has been a recent favorite of mine the last couple years, and yeah, I wasn't I didn't I didn't join you folks on that episode, but yeah, I'm gonna go to Terrifier. I don't even think we've ever had a conversation about terrifier, so color me shot.

Well, you know, unfortunately, my favorite scary movie right now is Run, and it is remaining Run. Yeah. Yeah. So next time on What's Your Favorite Scary Movie, Julianne? Goodbye. You've been voted off the island. Next time on what's your favorite scary movie, Caroline and Ian are back for the beginning of our jingly jingly uh sleigh bells, ringling, tingling something. Uh, I actually get really confused about the lyrics of that song, but the beginning of our holiday programming. I personally am an absolute whore for a lot of things this episode, apparently, but uh for holiday-themed horror. I think it's so much fun. I love it. So come back next week when Caroline Ian and I will be discussing the contemporary holiday favorite, Better Watch Out, which is streaming on shutters.

So make sure you plan your movie screaming before next week. All right. Well, my name. Oh, Jesus Christ. Uh my name is Parker Heron. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter and Letterboxd, which I have not been active on at all recently, at Parker Del Rey. Julianne. You can follow me. That was so funny. You can follow me at the Jewel Marie on Twitter and Instagram, and you can follow me on Letterboxd. Fuck it. I I had a secret letterbox for months. So it's, I think it's my first name, Julianne MS1. I think you'll find me. Yeah, of course they will. And you can find what's your favorite scary movie on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at ScaryMoviePod.

If you just crave more uh what's your favorite scary movie, head to patreon.com slash scary moviepod, where for just a few bucks a month you can get bonus episodes. All right, Julianne, it has been a pleasure, a hoot and a holler getting to talk to you. Merry Christmas, everybody. Aw, happy holidays, Julianne. Bye.