SUNDANCE 2024: ‘Freaky Tales’ Is Genre-Bending Goodness

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. 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.

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 the expectation of Pascal 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 a part of Sundance 2024 and has not been picked up for distribution.