Freaks Of Nature

I have always been a big horror fan, especially independent films, that use practical effects and no CGI. I especially love horror films that mix comedy with horror influences, and we have some really good classics in this genre. Who can forget Evil Dead 2, a true masterpiece ? I can still laugh at many of the scenes, and Bruce Campbell is absolutely brilliant. Another film that managed really well to mix splatter horror with comedy is the 90´s classic Braindead, by legendary director Peter Jackson. This could be the most insane comedy i have ever seen. So brutal, but so damn funny, it´s not hard to pee in your pants of joy. One of the most appreciated horror comedies that people still talk about, is Shaun Of The Dead. I would say this is more of a comedy, but i love the way that director Edgar Wright made fun of zombies. To be honest, one of the earlier horror comedies i personally think is one of the biggest classics, is called An American Werewolf In London. This is one of those films that manage to keep generations coming back, enjoying it over and over. And i think the main reason to that, is because director John Landis found a great way to do satire about werewolves. The scenes where main character David Kessler, talks to his dead zombie friend, is still today a lot of fun. By the way, the special effects in this film, with the werewolf transformation, looks really good also. There are of course many more films that combined horror and comedy, and one of the films that not many people have seen, should see the film The Revenant. This was one of the best films in many years, that combined horror with comedy, and also included some good acting. I would recommend that you buy this title, it is one of those films you can see more than once, and still enjoy. About a month ago, i was listening to Bloodbath & Beyond on Youtube, and checked out their review of Freaks Of Nature. I usually don´t let other critics affect me, in what films i should see. On this occasion i got curious, since they were pretty positive about the film. Since i have never heard about this film before, i was not sure what to expect. Since i love the combination horror and comedy mixed, is Freaks Of Nature a film in my taste, or should you avoid it at all cost ?

In the small town of Dillford, everything seems normal. But there is actually a battle in town between vampires, zombies and humans. Luckily, some of them get along. Dag Parker ( Nicholas Braun ) is an ordinary high school student. Petra Lane ( MacKenzie Davis ) is a vampire, and a student. And then we have Ned Mosely ( Josh Fadem ), zombie and always hungry for brains. When the town is suddenly is invaded by aliens, these 3 personalities have to find a way to work together. But is that even possible, or is the town of Dillford doomed to be destroyed ?

When you combine horror with comedy, you need to find a way to make these combinations work. And the good news is, Freaks Of Nature is actually a small surprise. There are a lot of crazy elements here, where you have vampires, zombies and aliens in the same town. When i think about it, there are not many films that have had all of these mixed together in the same film. So right from the beginning, i found myself enjoying the concept, especially since this is supposed to be a high school film also. The concept of the film does not work all the way, but there is a lot of funny ideas here, and they actually work pretty good. When you find out that humans, have to work together to survive with vampires, and zombies, against aliens, you understand how crazy this film is. We have seen many alien invasion films over the years, but Freaks Of Nature is actually doing a very different approach. Since this is about high school students, you might it is going to be cheesy and cliché staged drama. The good news is, we don´t get that much cheesy moments at all, compared to many high school films. Director Robert Pickering have directed one feature film before, a small independent film called Natural Selection. This film does have good reviews, and have been appreciated by the audience. I have not seen it, but it is very interesting that he choosed to do Freaks Of Nature. Natural Selection was a serious drama comedy, and his second film Freaks Of Nature, is almost a different version of the classic film Monster Squad. There are some major differences between these films, but i would guess that there are influences from the 80´s classic. One of the things i think director Robert Pickering manage to do, is mix classic horror figures all together, and make a fun tribute to old school horror comedies. There are a few scenes that might feel a bit too dramatic, but eventually we get a fun nostalgic ride. Freaks Of Nature is not a film for everyone, you have to enjoy this combination to have a good time. If you do like this combination of nostalgia and funny satire, i think you will be clapping your hands infront of the blu ray player. The film is just out in Sweden on dvd and blu ray, and can be bought on many web pages. Get yourself a copy, and pop a beer, this is Fredagsmys just the way Gudryn Schyman would want her weekend to be.

Rating: DDD