Reviews
‘Freaky Tales’ Sundance Review – Energetic Genre Mixtape Starring Pedro Pascal Revels in ‘80s Excess
Writer/Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck interconnect four energetic, frequently bloody stories in infectious anthology Freaky Tales. The filmmakers set Freaky Tales in 1987 Oakland, capturing the subculture of the Bay Area amidst the peak of ‘80s excess. It yields an anything-goes anarchic spirit that, when combined with an impressive cast game for this type of madness, plays like a stylish and entertaining genre mixtape.
Borrowing a page from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Freaky Tales segments its stories into four chapters, but they overlap in ways that don’t immediately reveal themselves as characters and timelines blur across the entire anthology. That careful structure makes up a large part of the fun, and Boden and Fleck bide their time immersing viewers in an eclectic world of punks versus Nazis, crooked cops, a crime enforcer’s attempt at retirement, and one Warrior all-star player who’s harnessed the mysterious green glow permeating the city and lending sci-fi to the mix. How these stories ultimately connect isn’t nearly as fun as the raucous, violent ride getting there.
Music takes center stage in many of the stories, highlighting the spirit of Oakland as punk rockers (Scream VI’s Jack Champion and Ji-Young Yoo) find love as they make their stand against Nazis or a pair of aspiring R&B and Hip Hop musicians, Entice (Normani Koredei Hamilton) and Barbie (Dominique Thorne), battle on stage against Bay Area legend Too Short. That’s when the rap duo isn’t contending with a corrupt cop dubbed “The Guy” (Ben Mendelsohn). Music informs the story, even on a meta-level, as needle drops are intentionally on the nose for humor’s sake.
Just as vital to Boden and Fleck’s love letter to Oakland is cinema, with the pair giving equal weight to their film influences as the music. Freaky Tales wrings a few comedic beats from The Lost Boys as connective tissue, and Scanners becomes one of the most surprising sources of gory inspiration. But the filmmakers ensure that each chapter is distinct in style and tone, largely shaped by their respective cinematic inspirations. Pedro Pascal earns the most audience sympathies for his segment; it’s here where Boden and Fleck drop the biggest surprise of the film in terms of cinematic reverence. You’ll know it when you see it. While The Warriors kicks off the anthology, it builds to one insanely gory final act that’s part slasher but all ‘80s action.
As kinetic and stylish as Freaky Tales is, its ambitious scope does occasionally show its seams. Not everything ties together neatly, and the expansive cast means that not every character beat earns its intended impact. Much of that can be attributed to the irreverent and bombastic nature of ‘80s cinema – don’t look for any explanation behind the constant green glow that manifests throughout in strange ways – but it’s minor comparatively.
Freaky Tales aims to offer a fun ride, and it more than succeeds. While Boden and Fleck create a specific love letter to the Bay Area, its adoration of music and movies is accessible on a larger scale. The way the filmmakers effortlessly shift through styles to capture each segment’s story, even playing with form and technique, makes for one of the more entertaining movie surprises in recent memory. There’s a bombastic charm to Freaky Tales that captures the essence of ‘80s action and genre cinema in a way that few manage. Its delightfully twisted and sometimes self-indulgent humor will be off-putting for some, but those open to the concept of a genre mixtape will find themselves charmed by this distinct audio-visual take on the anthology format.
Freaky Tales made its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Scream is a franchise that is very near and dear to the hearts of many Gen X and Millennial horror fans who experienced the first film at the perfect moment when their own media literacy and genre fandom was starting to take off. In many respects, Scream has turned into the very thing that it’s slyly been satirizing.
However, it’s still largely a slasher franchise that actually has something to say. Mileage varies regarding the Scream sequels’ reception, but 2011’s Scream 4 — Wes Craven’s final film — is right up there with Scream 2 as far as I’m concerned. Arriving a decade after Scream 3, Scream 4 has plenty of new material to pull from and sinks its claws into the whole horror remake craze that was ramping up during the 2000s.
Not only does this give Scream 4 more to do than its predecessor, but the film’s grander message about destructive clout chasing and gaining fame through infamy in a social media-obsessed age is wildly ahead of its time. It’s a motivation that rings even truer 15 years later and a sequel that’s only gotten better in the context of the following decades of horror and the subsequent Scream films that have followed in its wake.
Scream 4 is available in Ultra HD 4K for the first time in a Lionsgate Limited 4K Steelbook, a Standard 4K Edition, and even a VHS release. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the franchise’s black sheep sequel before your next franchise binge.
How Does Scream 4 Look in 4K?
The big reason to pick up this new set is that it’s the first time that Scream 4 has been available in 4K. The film is presented in Dolby Vision, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and compressed as HEVC (H.265). From what I understand, Scream 4 was finished on a 2K digital intermediate and that a native 4K master was never created. This indicates that this 4K release is an upscale, but it’s well-handled, if that’s in fact the case.
There’s a clear difference in the crispness and details of this new version in comparison to 2011’s Blu-Ray. The colors, reds in particular, pop much better and there’s a greater sense of contrast and depth when dealing with darker tones and blacks. To this point, Scream 4 is a film that’s full of scenes that take place at night and in dark rooms. It’s crucial that the 4K’s black levels aren’t compromised and this transfer doesn’t disappoint. This is definitely the best way to see Scream 4 at this point.
One of the biggest sticking points with Scream 4 fans is the “vaseline filter” that gives the film a bright and hazy soft-focus effect. Some people absolutely hate this effect and were hoping that it would be removed in the 4K. The filter does in fact remain, but this look was always intentional on Craven’s part and an additional meta touch on the glossier look of the decade’s many horror remakes. It wouldn’t be right to remove this filter, yet, an alternate option on the disc that’s without the glossy look – or the ability to toggle it on or off – might have been a welcome alternative.
Audio Gets a Surprise Bonus Inclusion
Lionsgate Limited’s new 4K release also features Dolby Atmos, which rises to the occasion and provides solid audio design throughout the movie. There are no struggles between the broader surround sounds and the more precise and directional effects, the latter of which are boosted so that the simplest of sound effects cut right through a scene. There’s a lot more going on in the background of scenes that are evident in the mix’s rear channels, too.
It’s definitely an audio mix where you’re going to potentially notice new elements that you’ve never noticed before. Speaking of surprises, a bonus inclusion is an additional English 5.1 TrueHD audio track, which is the infamous “UK Version.” While largely the same, this audio track features a few line changes that were dubbed over in ADR and worth checking out for hardocre fans.
Scream 4 4K Release Comes Loaded with Features New and Old
Lionsgate Limited Extras (4K)
In addition to this new release including all the “Legacy” Special Features from the 2011 Blu-Ray, there are a handful of new extras that clock in at about 50 minutes of new material. These features include:
The Meta of Scream
A 15-minute breakdown on the various ways in which Scream 4 is meta. There’s a playful nature to this, but it really doesn’t feel necessary, especially for an audience who is likely not buying Scream 4 for the first time.
Rebooting the Franchise: Scream 4 Revisited
A 15-minute discussion with a handful of Scream 4’s actors (David Arquette, Marley Shelton, Nico Tortorella, and Erik Knudsen) while they talk about the film and share some stories. This is also a pretty light feature that’s full of anecdotes that you’ve probably heard before. It’s also too bad that such a small portion of the cast is assembled here.
Ghostface Revealed!
This segment is around eight minutes and gives the voice of Ghostface, Roger L. Jackson, his flowers. A feature on what Jackson brings to the Scream franchise is a decent idea and there’s a certain novelty to seeing Jackson do the voice on camera. While this is the 4K’s shortest feature, it surprisingly has the most depth.
Wes Craven: The Maestro of Scream
A special feature on Wes Craven feels like a given, but this ten-minute segment does the bare minimum. About half of the feature is made up from archival interviews with Craven, with the rest featuring the cast from “Scream 4 Revisited” weighing in on the director. It’s sweet to hear these actors talk about Craven’s impact, but it’s a rather brief tribute.
In the end, all these new features are fine, but they come across as padded filler instead of anything that actually adds real value to the film’s legacy since its last physical media release. A special feature on how Scream 4 has been reappraised over the past decade, a breakdown on the legacy of Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), or even a discussion on what the original sequel trilogy plan was for the next films. Roberts might not have been available, but it’s hard to imagine that Kevin Williamson couldn’t have chatted for 15 minutes, especially after he was back in this universe for Scream 7. Even a new audio commentary by Williamson or the Radio Silence team would have been appreciated.
These new features are not some treasure trove of undiscovered Scream 4 intel and they’re not the reason to buy this new set. That being said, the 2011 Legacy Special Features remain robust enough.
Legacy Special Features (Blu-Ray)
Also included in this set are all the previous special features from the 2011 Blu-Ray release. These special features include:
- Feature Commentary with Director Wes Craven and Cast Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, and Neve Campbell (via telephone)
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
- Alternate Opening
- Extended Ending
- Gag Reel
- EPKs: B-Roll, Soundbites, Junket Interviews
- Trailers
- TV Spot
All of this is pretty much what you’d expect and likely footage you’ve encountered before, at least in the case of the alternate opening and deleted/extended scenes. The Deleted and Extended Scenes are the most substantial of these features with around 30 minutes of material. There’s also optional commentary from Wes Craven on all these sequences, which honestly provides some enlightening context. The audio commentary occasionally sees Roberts and Hayden Panettiere dominate the conversation. It’s still a good reservoir of knowledge from Craven and two up-and-coming talents who clearly respect the hell out of him.
Conclusion
Lionsgate Limited’s 4K Ultra HD remaster of Scream 4 is easily the film’s best release and a must-buy for anyone who has never owned the movie before. Anyone who already has this chapter of the Woodsboro murders in their collection likely doesn’t need to upgrade if they’re purely interested in new supplemental features. However, video and audio hounds, plus hardcore Scream enthusiasts, will want to spring for the improved presentation and upgrades.
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