‘Fasten your freakbelts for a wild night’
Frankie Freako is a 2024 comedy horror film about a workaholic yuppie who interacts with a party hotline hosted by a goblin: Frankie Freako. Could this be just the recipe to spice up his boring life?
Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman; Leprechaun Returns; The Void; The ABCs of Death 2; Father’s Day) wrote and directed the movie.
The Hangar 18 Media production stars Conor Sweeney (Psycho Goreman; Manborg; The Editor; Father’s Day), Adam Brooks (Psycho Goreman; The Editor) and Kristy Wordsworth (Blaze).
Plot:
Conor (Conor Sweeney) is a “square”. He doesn’t swear, thinks holding hands with his gorgeous wife Kristina (Kristy Wordsworth) is a wild night, and goes to bed well before 9 pm. When his slimy boss, Mr Buechler (Adam Brooks), and Kristina call him out on his squareness, Conor is deeply offended.
Determined to prove them wrong, he’s lured by a 1-900 ad promising the party of a lifetime with a creature named Frankie Freako. Calling the hotline opens a world of chaos, and Frankie, joined by two other ‘Freako’ friends, trash his house. Who are these little monsters, and why have they decided to torment him endlessly?
Conor must get rid of them before his wife returns from a weekend trip, plus appease the creepy Buechler. These inter-dimensional beings are more than pesky, bringing their troubles and interplanetary terrors right to Conor’s door!
Background:
Director Steven Kostanski has commented: “The “little monster” movie is a subgenre beloved by horror fans. Franchises like Critters, Ghoulies and Puppet Master are still immensely popular despite there being no recent entries in the franchises. Frankie Freako is my vision for the next tiny monster franchise, brought to life through a combination of modern visual effects as well as old-school practical puppeteering techniques. Additionally, I envision the film as my personal take on the Evil Dead 2 format: it is a contained story centred around one flawed man fighting an onslaught of tiny terrors, with each set-piece escalating in absurdity and inventiveness.
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 or Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.”
Reviews:
“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.” ★★★½ The Fright Club
“Reverent without being slavish, Frankie Freako builds a brave new world of old-school puppet wonder, and is perhaps Kostanski’s first real family-friendly creation, depending on the family, I suppose. Most of all, Frankie Freako is freakin’ fun! There is a playful nihilism that keeps the viewer on its toes, never quite knowing where the film is going, but eager for the journey.” Screen Anarchy
“While he has also tackled darker horror in films such as The Void, Steven Kostanski has become known for creating lighter genre fare. In some ways, Frankie Freako can be viewed as a spiritual sequel to 2011’s Manborg, particularly with the surprising places it goes in the second half. Also, since it’s missing most of the gore of Steven Kostanski’s earlier films, Frankie Freako can arguably be seen as a film that is fun for the whole family.” ★★★★ Sean Kelly on Movies
YouTube reviews:
Teaser trailer:
Release:
Frankie Freako premiered at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival. Their blurb describes the film as an “imaginative adventure, saturated with throwback cartoonish fun à la Ghoulies, wildly creative puppets, big laughs, and a helluva good time!”
Cast and characters:
Adam Brooks … Mr Buechler; Conor Sweeney … Conor; Kristy Wordsworth … Kristina
Country of origin:
Canada
Filming locations:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Technical specs:
1 hour 25 minutes
More Steven Kostanski movies:
#FrankieFreako #goblin #ComedyHorror
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