Customer Reviews

Freak Out

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cleverly conceived and very funny, FREAK OUT was a movie I had been wanting to see for a long time. Ever since I heard about it on various horror websites, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and see for myself if it was well worth the glowing praise. Now that I have seen it, I can say I am far from disappointed.

For a little backstory on the film, the movie was shot by its makers over a course of four years by way of a 16mm camera. When completed, it was screened at various college campuses where it brought the house down. It also was one of the few films without distribution to screen at the Fantasia Film Festival where I believe (and I could be wrong) it won The Audience Award.

It's easy to see the appeal. Billed as a comedy for horror fans, the plot concerns an escaped mental patient who meets up with a horror film junkie. The film junkie sees the potential in having a lunatic as a friend, and he and his friend Onky try to create out of the patient a new serial killer in the tradition of a typical slasher movie icon.

The two leads Dan Palmer (Who co-wrote the script) and James Heathcote are excellent and highly likable. Horror fans will love the film's sly inside jokes. Everything from FRIDAY the 13th, to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, to PSYCHO, to THE EVIL DEAD, to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is represented. What the director manages to achieve given the film's very small budget is a near miracle. And the film's best attribute is the character of the escaped mental patient "Looney." HILARIOUS!

The film is far from technically perfect, but it sure is fun! This horror fanboy loved it!

Well, I picked this film up purely by chance in the hopes that it would be another gem like Shawn of the Dead. I gotta say, I had my hopes set a little too high. There were a few decent gags throughout and the tongue-in-cheek send up to B-horror movies was duly noted. However, this film just didn't hold my attention. I got about 30 minutes into the film and wanted to shut it off as it just dragged. I kept watching in the hopes it would get better. It's an odd sensation to want to finish watching a movie since you've "come this far" and on the other hand want the last hour and a half of your life back. I'm sure there are other fans out there who will enjoy this more than I did, but don't get your hopes up.

This movie looks and feels like it cost about $20 to make, but for some unknown reason that i haven't quite been able to put my finger on yet, i enjoyed it a great deal. Maybe it was the all-out silliness of it (the killer's main weapon is a spatula, and he has a fondness for Larry Hagman). Maybe it was the fact that it's obvious that everyone involved had a blast making it. The filmakers seem well aware of how ridiculous their plot is, and they seem to revel in it. It's refreshing to see in this day and age of over-processed Hollywood movies."Freak Out" is far from perfect, but there are some genuinely funny moments, with a nice bit of b-grade gore thrown in for good measure. It's a campy bit of fun that was an unexpected bright spot in a seemingly endless sea of boring movies i seem to be coming across lately. Not for everyone, but good for more then a few laughs.

Bum-feelers! That's right, if you're reading this right now...you're a bum-feeler! By the way, while I'm saying that I'm laughing hysterically and pointing at you. Yeah, I know you can't see me, just trust me though.

At its core, FREAK OUT is a heartfelt story of two best friends, Merv Doody (James Heathcote) and Onkey (Dan Palmer), striving to make their home, the isle of Redwater Cove, a better place. No, I'm lying. It IS about two friends named Merv and Onkey, but the story centers on their pet project of taking a hapless (and very effeminate) escaped mental patient under their wing and teaching him how to be a real serial killer. That is indeed a noble cause. The world needs more good citizens like Merv and Onkey.

It's rare that I laugh as much at a movie as I did during FREAK OUT. I think I literally busted a gut. That would certainly explain the stain on my chair. It's so silly and so absurd, but it's absolutely hilarious. It's such a goofy script, yet at the same time it's very intelligent. It's a comical send-up of classic horror films like The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, and the like. Unlike movies like Scary Movie, it's more than just a satire, much more than just a parody. Those films make the gags the centerpiece and the plot seems more like an afterthought, while FREAK OUT uses the gags to compliment a genuinely funny storyline. So there's plenty below the surface, and it has a much more natural flow to it. The jokes come in bunches, a lot of them random and out of nowhere, but they aren't forced down the audience's throat. Instead, they sneak right up behind you.then smack you in the back of the head.

For an independent film, the most surprising aspect for me was the fact that the acting was great! Once I got used to the accents (most likely not a problem for those in the UK), I wasn't distracted by anyone's performance. Heathcote and Palmer have very good onscreen chemistry (perhaps more than we realize?), and are quite believable as best buds. Heathcote is praiseworthy as the loveable loser, and Palmer does a first-rate job as the annoying sidekick who, more often than not, is responsible for getting them into trouble. The dialogue is all delivered with ease and director Christian James does a terrific job guiding the film from behind the camera. Lots of savvy camera work, deftly shot scenes, and solid editing make for a visually stimulating journey, and really go a long way in making you forget this isn't some big-budget production. And as much as it's pleasing to the eye, it's just as pleasing to the ear. Composer Stuart Fox's work on the film is some sweet ear candy.

So what have we got so far? How about a great script, cool music, solid acting, some arse piranhas, a few zombies, plenty of horror spoofs, and a serial killer that's a tad light in his loafers. That's enough for me, I smell an Oscar. No wait, that's me, I must have soiled myself during the movie. Regardless, FREAK OUT's a winner and is destined to be a fan favorite!

A comedy spoof of slasher movies, with a sense of humor more like what you and your lame, demented buddies share, than anything you've ever seen in any movie before, or so I think. "Shaun of the Dead," or any of the "Scary Movie" movies are middle America, mass appeal, Hollywood, family movies, by comparison. Freak Out is a, "let's get wasted and crack each other up, but then get wired for a few days and write it all down, funny/dumb, kind of story/screenplay. Very funny and original, but not for those who want, or expect same ol', same ol'.
I just saw it for sale on Amazon for $0.01. That's 1 cent, folks. I think I paid a dollar for my copy. How can you loose? Get it cheap and bash it with a hatchet if you hate it. That's worth a buck or 2, ain't it?

Two horror nerds cross paths with an escaped mental patient, and decide to create their own slaughter-bent psychopath. Unfortunately for the duo, their student is more interrested in Dallas reruns than homicide. Watch as they try to transform a mild mannered mental case into a slaughter driven slasher, and realize that maybe it wasn't such a great idea...

I love this movie, it's a low budget/high concept indie comedy-horror that looks as professional as an Indie film can, that actually succeeds at being funny.

The 2 Disc DVD is absolutely loaded with extra features. Including some short films/music videos made for the release. The commentary tracks are almost as much fun as the movie itself, one(mostly)dedicated to the technical aspects of the film and the other featuring almost the entire cast.

This won't scare anyone, and if you're expecting highbrow comedy... you're not even in the proper hemisphere. But if you're looking for a comedy made for horror fans, you can't go wrong.

This movie is what it is, an amateur attempt at making a horror/comedy. There are some laughs, but to be honest they are few and far in between, making the movie seem like it is 4 hours long. Now I'm not saying this is a bad flick, but in the right hands it could have been so much better. A silly plot, lame special effects, unforgetable one-liners, and goofy characters are all B-movie musts, and this flick has it all, but for some reason a lot of the jokes or gags did not transfer to film as well as they did in the director's head.

The writeup on the back of the box promises nudity, there is none, except for a one second scene of a woman who takes her shirt off on a TV screen that our hero is watching.

The escaped mental patient is indeed funny and does have some good moments, he is my favorite character in the movie. I think the main problem with this film is that it just seems to go on and on with no end in sight. Maybe if a half hour or 45 minutes of mindless and useless footage had been removed, this would have been a great little one hour film.

Recommended for B-movie fans, but don't rush out and feel the need to buy it. If you never see this movie, you have still lived a fulfilling life.

I had high hopes for this one, and must admit I was a little disappointed. For some reason I can't put my finger on, it didn't quite deliver. Maybe it was just TOO silly and unrealistic. Maybe some of the humor, being British, went over my head.

The acting was great- all three of the "stars" played their parts to the hilt. For a low-budget production, the camerawork, lighting, and sound were all great, as were the sets. Horror fans, presumably who the movie is geared towards, will appreciate the homages paid to such classics as "Evil Dead", "Friday the 13th", and "Psycho". At some point I thought it was going to take advantage of the "exploitation of serial killer" angle like "Natural Born Killers", but it didn't go there. Instead it went.... I'm not sure exactly where.

Basically it was enjoyable, definitely offbeat, but nowhere in the league of "Shaun of the Dead" or "Slither" as far as horror comedy.

Back in 1975 if independent low-budget cult Director John Waters decided to make his followup to "Pink Flamingos" an overly goofy slasher film rather than "Female Trouble" it would have come very close to independent Director Christian James's 2004 low-budget (soon to be) cult classic "Freak Out". If you go into this film as a mainstream horror movie fan expecting a smaller budget straight to dvd film that should have made it into the theatre's then you will be truly disappointed.
If your a true horror fan & have an affinity for horror films of all budgets,shapes & sizes then you will absolutely find a place in your disturbed little heart for this very fun & witty horror comedy made on a boatload of creativity,by a few very talented horror fans & put together with chump change. It is very apparant that these cats had a blast making this movie. This is truly a blueprint for any wanna be film maker with plenty of idea's & no money. Ed Wood would be so proud!

...this one needed some more work. Some of the siliness seemed a tad bit pointless. While this film does have some funny moments, the attempt at creating black humor failed, as the propostrousness was unnecesarily overdone, the comedy did not compliment anything. The only worthwhile element of this film ended up being some stand alone scenes.

Had they tried to make it somewhat plausable, they could have made something both horrific, offensive and funny, as some of the actors were alright and the script was fairly witty.

The story follows a dweeby kid who is cast away as a youngen and vows to get revenge on his peers. Years later, he is an escpaed mental patient who ends up being discovered by some dorky teenage horror fanatics. They then try and make their new mental friend into a stud serial killer.

Good idea, had some potential, but ultimately failed.