Frankie Freako - Fantasia World Premiere Review
Director: Steven Kostanksi
Starring: Conor Sweeney, Kristy Wordsworth, Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy
Written by: Steven Kostanski
Produced by: Steven Kostanski, Melanie Murray, Pasha Patriki
Cinematography by: Pierce Derks
Original Score by: Blitz//Berlin
Synopsis:
Workaholic Conor is in an existential rut until one night he catches a bizarre ad for a party hotline hosted by a strange dancing goblin: Frankie Freako. Could this be just the recipe to spice up his boring life?
Thoughts:
Steven Kostanski returns with an absurd homage to 1980s "little creature" horror that is, at times cringey, but always hilariously entertaining. It might be one of my favourite films of the festival so far.
Conor Sweeney stars as Conor, a boring yuppie type who is focussed way too much on his work and not enough on his gorgeous girlfriend or life outside of the office. He's called bland by his boss and the only physicality he has with Kristina (Kristy Wordsworth) is the act of holding hands. Kristina has issues hiding her frustrations one evening when Conor refuses to have sex with her and she advises him that he needs to stop being so "square".
"You look like a movie star."
"Do I? Which one?
"Gary Busey"
Conor catches an ad on late night television asking "Are you ready for the party of a lifetime?" and while Kristina is away for the weekend, Conor finds his world is soon turned upside down when Frankie Freako and his two mates slide into his life and takeover.
Having worked on a number of cult sci-fi horror hits like 'The Void' and more recently 'Psycho Goreman', Kostanski successfully delivers yet another nostalgia fuelled horror-comedy that uses his love for practical FX and puppetry. This one is a bit more parody than previous projects and is essentially a love letter to legendary Producer and Director Charles Band, the founder of the infamous Empire Pictures and the even more infamous Full Moon Productions. There's even a character in the film called Mr. Buechler, a lovely tribute to iconic special make-up effects artist John Carl Buechler, who worked closely with Band's companies. His most famous work was probably on 'Re-Animator' directed by the late Stuart Gordon and the 'Ghoulies' franchise (the 3rd movie he actually directed himself) two of Charles Band most notorious films. And it's difficult to look at any other movie other than 'Ghoulies' as the main influence here. Sadly John Carl Buechler passed away in 2019 but his incredible work will live on forever and with the help of filmmakers like Steven Kostanski, his legacy and that of other 80s & 90s make-up magicians can be passed on to new generations.
Kostanski has been quoted as saying, "Frankie Freako is meant to be the complete antithesis of the current trend of overly self serious A24 style horror films with a tone more akin to early Tim Burton films like Beetlejuice and Pee-Wees Big Adventure." While I don't think this is anywhere close to being as cinematic as those two Burton films, it's definitely in the same ball park in terms of zaniness. I thought there was even little nods to 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' when the group enter FreakWorld, or at least what's left of it.
I really enjoyed Conor Sweeney's perfomance here. His comedy timing is on point and he allows himself to overact at times, which is an integral part of the performance, yet for the most part he is playing it straight. And his interactions with the stars of the show Frankie, Boink and Dottie are just straight up slapstick silliness.
An homage to 'Gremlins 2' and a bunch of throwbacks to 'Home Alone' trigger a fun and thrilling Second Act that is actually surprisingly charming. The film goes from strength to strength when the lore and backstory of the Freakos are explored and when the film is loaded with some intriguely designed villains. Subtlety isn't Kostanski's strong point, something that works heavily in his favour, and his passion for this niche but much loved sub-genre cannot be denied.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
-Gavin Logan
'Frankie Freako' received its World Premiere ar Fantasia '24 on July 24th
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