Writer and director Christopher Landon’s (Happy Death Day) newest horror comedy is aptly titled Freaky, a teen slasher film that’s a mix of Scream and Freaky Friday.

The story follows Millie (Kathryn Newton), a high school student having a hard time after the death of her father. One night when she’s attacked by the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn), he stabs her with mystical Aztec dagger. Instead of killing her, the dagger causes them to swap bodies.

Stuck in the body of a serial killer, Millie has 9hrs to find the dagger, find the killer, and reverse the switch before its permanent. It’s a race against time as Millie and her best friends Nyla (Celeste O’Connor) and Josh (Misha Osherovich) run around Blissfield while the actual Blissfield Butcher runs around in Millie’s body, killing anyone he can.

Freaky is fun body-swap story with a horror twist. Unlike the family friendly Happy Death Day, Freaky is R rated and takes full advantage of its rating with some very gruesome kills. The opening sets the tone for what kind of horror the film delivers and the type of killer the Blissfield Butcher is – he’s relentless like Jason Voorhees with a little more strength. He can break through doors, throw people with ease, and even take a little punishment himself.

How powerful The Butcher is sets up some fun moments when he tries the kill people in Millie’s body. Let’s just say he’s left with some different results. Even Millie gets use to having a little more strength than usual. 

Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton do a fantastic job once they switch bodies. It’s easy to believe them as their original characters, and yet they turn it up a notch when the switch occurs. Seeing Vince Vaughn run around and scream like a teenage girl is more entertaining than you would imagine. Newton as a cold blooded killer is even more terrifying than Vaughn as The Butcher. Newton isn’t the towering physical threat Vaughn presents so she becomes more methodical and efficient with the kills. Newton has a death stare that will send chills down your spine. 

There are a lot of really great kills, especially during the film’s opening scene. The best sequence involves the shop teacher. It’s a the perfect scene for a film like Freaky – it straddles the line between comedy and horror, and that’s exactly what the film does to perfection. 

Freaky is the perfect horror comedy to watch with a large group of friends. It’s funny when it needs to be and treats its horror elements with the seriousness they deserve. Freaky is guaranteed to be a fan favorite for horror fans for years to come. 

Grade: B+