U.S. DVD Release
“Fart. Fart. Shit. Piss. Cum. Penis. Titty. Masturbate. Masturbate. Masturbate. Condom. Masturbate. Shit. Beer. ‘Gina. Butt. Gore. Butt. Beer. Masturbate.”
“There, finally finished my script. Anybody have a camcorder?”
It’s a shame really but this is how I see the state of American horror comedy. In my opinion most aspiring filmmakers in indie/low budget filmmaking have absolutely no concept of what comedy really is. If it’s not all biological functions and drunken frat antics…it’s just not fun to them. What a shame people are too busy trying to get on Troma with their lowbrow crapfests than providing fans with a fun story, solid gags, likable characters and an anti-hero worth rooting for. Just when I thought I wouldn’t see another solid horror comedy…WHAMMO!! Freak Out drops into my lap!
Why can’t American horror comedies be this funny? It’s like the minute some grungy, pimply-faced gorehounds get their hands on a camcorder a big giant black hole opens up and every bit of intelligent comedy is sucked from their bodies leaving only the basest, idiotic potty humor in its place. I don’t know about all of you but I’m getting tired of potty humor, gay jokes and masturbation in my low budget horror comedies.
Freak Out offers something for everybody and I cannot recommend this film enough! If you’re a fan of Monty Python and Scary Movie series (the good ones), you’re going to find Freak Out a MUST-HAVE.
Sure, there’s a masturbation joke here and there and there’s even some potty humor but Freak Out soars above everything out there right now in terms of smart, cinema savvy horror comedy. This isn’t just a comedy for horror fans but for cinema fans.
When Merv Doody (James Heathcote), horror geek extraordinaire, has a chance encounter with an escaped mental patient, he decides to transform the mild-mannered, wishy-washy psycho into a blood-thirsty monster. With the help of his goofball friend Onkey (Dan Palmer), he begins training the wacko in the finer art of hurling sharp objects, stalking sexual active teens and sporting a truly slasher worthy outfit.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the two screw-ups and they mucho dollar signs and merchandising in their future. They dub their creation, Looney.
Naturally, getting Looney to actually kill people ends up being a bit harder than the two had expected and Merv is soon pushing Looney away. Betrayed and bitter, Looney snaps and a terrifying beast is unleashed upon the town. Nobody is safe from Looney and his razor sharp spatula…not even Hagfans! With Larry Hagman on the run, bodies turning up and all signs pointing to Merv things couldn’t be worse.
That is…until Looney decides to come for Merv. Only Merv and Onkey’s wits will save them from the deranged nutcase. In other words…they’re in deep shit.
Consider me a hardcore “bum feeler” because I absolutely loved this flick! It had everything a fan of horror comedies could ask for! It had two hilarious buffoons, deadly weapons, chainsaws, gore, zombies, film references (Jürgen anyone?), boobs and one of the funniest psycho killers I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. This guy pranced, minced, danced and even sang cute songs while tying ribbons in a dog’s hair. Looney is truly endearing.
I damn near fell off my chair during the Python-esque performance of “The Blair Witch Project: The Play” and giggled myself senseless whenever I heard the phrase “Meat is murder!”
As I mentioned early, this is a low budget film so some of the performances were a little wonky but the sheer insanity and sly humor made up for some of the lesser performances.
One thing I particularly enjoyed was the world in which Merv Doody and Onkey live in. It’s reality but not quite OUR reality so you know you’ll see Onkey alive and well again after a boiling fry daddy is dumped on him or he catches a Frisbee to the throat and his jugular is gashed open.
The characters in this are simply wonderful. Merv is the “every man” in this film while Onkey is the classic clown. He’s got some of the best gags in the film.
As if the comedy weren’t enough, Anchor Bay is releasing this as a 2-disc set! The second disc includes so many damn extras it’s going to take you hours to get through this release. Extras include two audio commentary tracks by director Christian James, actor/writer Dan Palmer, actor/producer Yazz Fetto, James Heathcote, Nicola Connell and Chilli Gold, a making of documentary that follows the four years it took to make this film, seventeen deleted scenes and about five other awesome extras!
Freak Out is by far the best horror comedy to hit the genre since Shaun of the Dead. Don’t be an “Arse Piranha”, check this damn film out and have yourself a ball!
