Vince Vaughn playing a 17-year-old teenage girl is a casting choice that nobody would ever have expected. It’s something you’d never think you’d get to see but it’s glorious. Not only does Freaky indeed have Vince Vaughn playing a teenage girl but it’s also the absolute standout of the filmand it makes the film incredible entertaining and enjoyable.

The film puts a twisted take on the body-swap movie as it sees 17-year-old Millie Kessler (played by Kathryn Newton) swapping bodies with the terrifying serial killer known as The Blissfield Butcher (Vaughn). Millie is a quiet, awkward teenager who’s just trying to make it through high school when she gets stabbed by her town’s infamous serial killer’s mysteriously mystical dagger. The two end up swapping bodies and Millie (now trapped in Vince Vaughn’s body) has less than 24 hours until the switch is permanent and they’re stuck in each other’s bodies forever.

It’s a really great premise, it’s Freaky Friday meets Friday the 13^th or Scream or pretty much any other slasher film. The reason why Freaky works so well and is such a good film is because it gets the blend of genres absolutely spot-on. It’s a horror-comedy but it manages to fulfil both of these genres perfectly. Very often when films try to straddle the line between these two genres it ends up falling very much to one side with it either being very funny but not particularly scary, or really scary but you’re not laughing at all. Freaky manages to land right in the middle.

It manages to be scary, it feels tense and it’s got some gory kills; exactly what you want from a slasher film. The opening scene immediately sets the rules and establishes itself as a slasher with quite a few brutal kills. But as well as the horror, it’s also really funny as well. There are numerous moments that will leave you laughing out loud in the cinema. Most of the jokes do come from the body-swapping and from the comedy that comes from a 50-year-old man trapped in a teen’s body and vice-versa.

All the jokes land thanks to Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton’s incredible performances. The two leads look like they’re having so much fun in their roles and they’re both so good and really make the body swapping feel so much more believable. It’s directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day), and it does feel a bit similar to the two Happy Death Day films except everything’s been turned up a notch. The kills are more gruesome, it’s much funnier and it makes for a much more entertaining and enjoyable film. All the kills and the comedy land in just the right way and it all hits the mark so well that you cannot help yourself but be swept away by the film’s fun. It really is infectious and it’s so exhilarating.

It’s a furiously entertaining 100-minute thrill ride that’s begging to be watched over and over again because it really is just so much fun. The cast elevate this strong concept and fulfill its potential making it a joy to watch. The only slight problem with it is the ending. Whilst it’s not a bad ending, it feels almost as if it has two endings. Without diving into spoilers, the film reaches a natural conclusion but then keeps going for a little longer when perhaps it didn’t need to.

If you like slasher films and a good laugh it’s impossible not to love Freaky. It’s got kills, it’s got comedy and it’s a killer time. And of course, Freaky also has Vince Vaughn playing a teenage girl, something no other film has.

★★★★★

Freaky is released in UK cinemas on Friday July 2^nd.