Freaks [2019] (4/5) – Movie Review

FREAKS is a Sci-Fi Thriller that surprises in some truly awesome ways. You might be lost at first but all will make sense. It’s a crazy trip that will pull you in and keep you there. More in our full Freaks review here!

Freaks is a Sci-Fi Thriller that turns out to be a lot more than you’d expect. If you avoid all spoilers (and we won’t give anything away), then it will take a while to understand what’s going on. However, once you know what’s happening, you should be completely on board.

The cast is relatively small but works really well. It’s almost like watching a play in the beginning since we’re very limited to one location. Then again, so is the main character and this really is her story.

Read the rest of our Freaks review below.

Chloe is a very special girl

Freaks is basically the story of Chloe. The little girl is living with her father and their entire world is inside an old house. Or rather, the father leaves every now and then but is quick to return. The girl, however, stays at home all the time.

Needless to say, Chloe is getting very curious about the outside world. Also, she desperately wants a mommy and she already knows who will take the place if anything happens to her father.

This might all sound very strange and, believe me, Freaks is very strange to watch at first. The one thing that keeps you engaged is the wonderful acting of Emile Hirsh and Lexy Kolker. They work perfectly as father and daughter. With this alone, you’ll stick around and then you will be rewarded with an amazing story.

Such a brilliant cast

As stated above, Emile Hirsh and Lexy Kolker are amazing at portraying the dad and the girl, Chloe. If you’ve watched The Autopsy of Jane Doe, you might recognize Emile Hirsh from this little horror gem. Lexy Kolker is still very young, but she is absolutely brilliant in Freaks.

The cast is very small, but I should also mention Bruce Dern, who is amazing as always. Even if I am quite distracted by his beard and nose hair having morphed into one entity. Sorry, but somebody should mention it!

Also, we have Amanda Crew as Mary. Horror fans will probably recognize her face since she’s been in both Final Destination 3 (2006) and The Haunting in Connecticut (2009). Also, she’s in the new horror thriller Isabelle (2019) starring alongside Adam Brody.

Finally, Grace Park plays Agent Ray who really is a total badass. Of course, this kind of role is nothing new to Grace Park, who was part of the core cast of Battlestar Gallactica.

Watch Freaks and surrender to its universe

Freaks was written and directed by filmmaker duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein. Just after making this movie, they directed the live action Kim Possible movie. Of course, for horror fans, the name Zach Lipovsky is probably better recognized as the director of Dead Rising (2015).

The wonderful surprise of Freaks was the way it pulled me into its universe and made me want to stay. Not that it’s a nice world really. In fact, it’s a pretty cold and cruel world, but it is also a fascinating one. And you really want this little girl and her father to make it.

If you start watching this movie and feel lost, then please don’t give up. All will be explained and it turns into a brilliant Sci-Fi Thriller that continues to surprise and evolve. Just surrender to the world of Freaks and you will be rewarded with an awesome story.

FREAKS is out in theaters from Friday the 13th of September, 2019. On March 3, 2020 Freaks will also be out on Netflix in the US.

Details

Director: Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Grace Park, Amanda Crew, Lexy Kolker

Plot

Kept locked inside the house by her father, 7-year-old Chloe lives in fear and fascination of the outside world, where Abnormals create a constant threat – or so she believes. When a mysterious stranger offers her a glimpse of what’s really happening outside, Chloe soon finds that while the truth isn’t so simple, the danger is very real.