The “Happy Death Day” franchise is an underrated gem in the Blumhouse filmography. Sandwiched between genuinely good films such as “Get Out” and “The Purge” franchise, as well as stinkers such as “Fantasy Island” and “Truth or Dare,” is this weird mix of humor and horror, led by an incredibly charismatic performance from its lead, Jessica Rothe. It’s a formula that worked well in the two “Happy Death Day” films by writer-director Christopher Landon and something he’d like to replicate with the upcoming Blumhouse film, “Freaky.”
READ MORE: ‘Happy Death Day 3’: Jason Blum Is “Working Overtime” To Get A Deal Done For The Sequel
As seen in the new trailer for “Freaky,” the film follows the story of a pretty, blonde high school girl that switches bodies with a middle-aged serial killer. Hijinks ensue. Yes, it’s like “Freaky Friday” with a dash of “Friday the 13th.” But with his ability to mix comedy and horror, proven in “Happy Death Day,” we have every reason to suspect that Landon will be able to create something entertaining with “Freaky.”
The film stars Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Celeste O’Connor, Misha Osherovich, Uriah Shelton, Dana Drori, Katie Finneran, and Alan Ruck. It’s fun to see Vaughn mix the humor that he’s made a career off of with his more recent string of serious, gritty roles in films such as “Dragged Across Concrete” and “Brawl In Cell Block 99.”
“Freaky” arrives in theaters on Friday, November 13. Freaky Friday the 13th. I see what you did there, Blumhouse.
Here’s the synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton, Blockers, HBO’s Big Little Lies) is just trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the newest target of The Butcher (Vince Vaughn), her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries. When The Butcher’s mystical ancient dagger causes him and Millie to wake up in each other’s bodies, Millie learns that she has just 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent and she’s trapped in the form of a middle-aged maniac forever. The only problem is she now looks like a towering psychopath who’s the target of a city-wide manhunt while The Butcher looks like her and has brought his appetite for carnage to Homecoming. With some help from her friends—ultra-woke Nyla (Celeste O’Connor, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), ultra-fabulous Joshua (Misha Osherovich, The Goldfinch) and her crush Booker (Uriah Shelton, Enter the Warriors Gate)—Millie races against the clock to reverse the curse while The Butcher discovers that having a female teen body is the perfect cover for a little Homecoming killing spree.