Close Menu
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    One Piece But Why Tho 5

    Fathers of ‘One Piece’: Powerful Bonds, Legacy, and Found Family

    06/13/2025
    Elena Street Fighter 6 But Why Tho

    Elena Brings Style And Versatility To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    06/06/2025
    Lune and Sciel from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

    Lune, Sciel, And The Romance Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Fails To Realize

    06/05/2025
    Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro

    Everything To Know About Eve Macarro In ‘Ballerina’

    06/05/2025
    Marvel Rivals Ultron

    Ultron Brings Aggression To ‘Marvel Rivals’ Support Class

    05/31/2025
  • Star Wars
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Freaky Tales’ Is Genre-Bending Goodness

REVIEW: ‘Freaky Tales’ Is Genre-Bending Goodness

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez01/19/20244 Mins ReadUpdated:04/08/2025
Freaky Tales But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Look, killing Nazi skinheads is an immediate greenlight, but when you wrap it in an interlocking anthology? That’s a recipe for perfection. Directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, Freaky Tales takes place in 1987 in Oakland and explores four distinct stories.

In the film, a mysterious green force guides the town’s underdogs in four interconnected freaky tales. The first vignette shows punk as it always has been, anti-racist, anti-cop- and anti-skinhead, as a group of teen punks defend their turf against Nazi skinheads.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

In the second, Entice (Normani Kordei Hamilton) and Barbie (Dominique Thorne) are Danger Zone, a rap duo battling for hip-hop immortality. Then, we see a weary henchman, played by Pedro Pascal, get a shot at redemption when the consequences of his actions catch up with him. Finally, the anthology turns to the action revenge genre as Jay Ellis, playing Sleepy Floyd, an NBA All-Star, settles the score against more skinheads who wronged him and his family.

A mix-tape as diverse in genre and tone as the one Pascal picks up from a kid, the film captures the 80s and the fun camp that can come by throwing out the rule book and letting absurdity take the wheel. Pulpy and constantly aware of the genre toy box it’s playing in, Freaky Tales embraces a unique style that never loses sight of its inspirations. An ode to the 80s, yes, but this anthology is a love letter to genre filmmaking in the highest form.

Freaky Tales moves across genres in each story without losing its pace due to how the vignettes balance each other. With two hyperviolent Nazi bashing segments in the first and last segments, the middle two are allowed to explore smaller stories and tackle slightly different themes. The film is a resounding statement against racism, misogyny, homophobia, and corruption. But it manages to take this stance without ever feeling self-congratulatory or empty.

Instead, everyone in the audience can get on board with bashing skinheads in an extravagant, ultra-violent fashion. Even in its ultraviolence the film always embraces small bits of style that keep it from being a gorefest and instead embodies humor and comic books in both. Whether it’s in mixed-medium fight scenes with animation overlays or a dope yellow Blade vest, no matter how far the film goes in its action, it’s always approachable so much so that each blood-bursting moment gets a loud cheer from the audience.

Freaky Tales understands the best of genre filmmaking.

Freaky Tales

Stacked with surprise appearances, which are better left as such, Freaky Tales never loses its heart or focus. The focus, though? The film explores beautiful retribution throughout the vignettes, with all of them ultimately fighting the same great conflict in the end. You can call it a superhero story, a pulp action spectacular, or something else altogether. But you ultimately have to call it great.

While each of the four stories has a distinct character focus, they’re each pulled together by this mysterious force set up in the film’s opening prologue. It’s a weird green haze, or “cosmic green sh__” as the film says, but it’s ultimately a tether holding each vignette in place effortlessly. By showing off Psytopics, a meditative practice where you can tap into the cosmic green force, in every vignette, everything is cohesive, serving as a baked-in wraparound for the film. The second tether is that everything takes place within the same time and space, with characters from different vignettes interacting with others, pulling it all together.

The only drawback to Freaky Tales is going to ultimately be its marketing. Playing as a part of Sundance 2024, the only still available is of Pedro Pascal. The first name in the cast is Pascal, and although his vignette is good, he is not the star of the film nor the main focus. With a rocking ensemble cast and a closing vignette that packs a big punch, I hope expecting Pascal to dominate the story doesn’t let people down. Instead, audiences should strap in for an action-packed genre extravaganza.

Freaky Tales is a triumph of genre cinema. It’s loud, brash, hilarious, and packed with satisfying action. Plus, who doesn’t want to watch skinheads lose over and over and over again?

Freaky Tales was screened as part of Sundance 2024 and is available now in theaters from Lionsgate.

Freaky Tales
  • 9/10
    Rating - 9/10
9/10

TL;DR

Freaky Tales is a triumph of genre cinema. It’s loud, brash, hilarious, and packed with satisfying action. Plus, who doesn’t want to watch skinheads lose over and over and over again?

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous Article‘Ghostrunner 2’ Shares Release Date And Details For New Dragon Pack
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ Episode 19 — “Well-Laid Plans”
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Our Times But Why Tho
3.5

REVIEW: ‘Our Times’ Wastes A Good Premise On A Bad Plot

06/14/2025
Red Blood Cell and White Cell in Cells at Work
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Cells at Work’ Does A Beloved Anime Justice

06/13/2025
Camila Morrone and Willem Dafoe in Gonzo Girl
6.5

REVIEW: ‘Gonzo Girl’ Is A Careful Character Study About Main Characters

06/12/2025
Dakota Johnson in Materialists
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Materialists’ Proves Celine Song Understands Love Better Than Most Of Us

06/11/2025
Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon
5.0

REVIEW: ‘How To Train Your Dragon (2025)’ Is Aggravatingly Dark

06/09/2025
A still from Predator Killer of Killers
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ Finds Humanity In The Hunt

06/06/2025
TRENDING POSTS
Yoo Su-bin, Kim Shin-rok, Go Min-si, and Kang Ha-neul in Tastefully Yours
6.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘Tastefully Yours’ Is A Half-Baked Romantic Venture

By Sarah Musnicky06/11/2025

For all its emphasis on flavor, execution, and satisfying a customer, Tastefully Yours ultimately proves to be underwhelming.

Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night with the Duke Episodes 1-2
8.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 1-2

By Sarah Musnicky06/12/2025

The bar is set pretty high with The First Night With The Duke Episodes 1-2. While exposition-heavy, it is a delightfully silly watch.

Y'shtola in the FFXIV Commander Deck - Magic: The Gathering x Final Fantasy Interviews

Magic Designer Explains The Challenge Of Picking A Face For The FFXIV Commander Deck

By Kate Sánchez06/11/2025Updated:06/11/2025

FFXIV Commander Deck pulls highlights core characters and mechanics, with Y’shtola as its Commander. But building the deck, wasn’t easy.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here