Frankie Freako

Ever since Steven Kostanski released The Void, which I absolutely adored, he has definitely been on my radar. Since then, I have watched other movies of his like Manborg, Leprechaun: Returns, and Psycho Goreman, all of which were unique and great in their own way. It's no different with Frankie Freako. It's absurd, funny, and totally bonkers. The movie tells the story of Conor, a workaholic who finds himself alone at home when his wife is away for the weekend. He stumbles upon an ad for a party hotline hosted by a strange dancing goblin named Frankie Freako, and soon after, the carnage begins.

The movie is strange, and it honestly took me a while to get into the right mindset to understand its humor and general premise. I wasn't fully convinced at first, but as the movie progresses, it becomes more absurd and fun. Once you settle into the story and its crazy characters, the movie becomes quite entertaining and enjoyable to watch. Similar to movies like Manborg or Psycho Goreman, the comedy doesn't always hit the mark. It's obviously absurd and childish, with some smart jokes mixed in, but I understand it's not for everyone, and at times, it didn't quite connect with me either. However, I still prefer these absurd and fun movies over another stereotypical haunted house movie from Blumhouse. Also, the practical effects in this movie were once again awesome, but I didn't expect anything less from Kostanski and his team. Especially the third act has a nice surprise that could come straight out of an 80s creature feature. If you've enjoyed Kostanski's previous work, you'll likely have a great time with Frankie Freako and his buddies, but I can understand that the absurd humor and narrative might turn some people off. [5.7/10]

Unfortunately, I have to admit that this isn't Steven Kostanski's Best work. I enjoyed his last Films like "Fathers Day", Psycho Goreman, the short film "Bio-Cop", and the Horrorfilm "The Void", which had a somewhat serious undertone, more. But I have to say that I was well Entertained by this Film. You can see that Steven Kostanski put a lot of love into his crazy Puppet shows. The gags don't always work, but it's wonderfully pointless, and the Film itself doesn't take itself too seriously. I realize that not everyone will like the Film, but if you know and love Steven Kostanski's special sense of Humor and style, then you can definitely give the Film a chance.

If you're looking for pointless, trashy fun, grab some popcorn, turn off your Brain and let the Party start!

You need to go into this movie appreciating puppet horror. Defiantly a niche type of horror sub-genre, but it does have its audience. For myself, growing up on Chucky, Slappy, Puppet Master, Ghoulies, and Garbage Pail Kids: The Movie. "Frankie Freako" was a pleasant surprise. There is defiantly segments that would have scared me in my youth. Especially Munch's awesome design. I was actually reminiscing of the times I first watched puppet horror while enjoying "Frankie Freako". I got that love letter to this niche from my viewing. The second viewing will be making someone else watch it without the "itch" for the "niche". See what they have to say about the film. "The Void" Is the perfect film and what got me (personally) into H. P. Lovecraft (thank you). I think this film would be better appreciated if you are ALSO a fan of the work Steven, Adam, Conor, and Matthew. A lot of people I am probably not thinking of, but that crew. Everything they create is unique, tongue in cheek, and well, gory-grotesque-lovely-madness. Thank you. I look forward to everything you guys create. 8/10. The ending of "Frankie Freako" is "wonderful". Heckin' the best. SKIP THE TRAILER. Go into this one just like a low budget haunted house with all the thrills and cheeze.

I honestly wasn't expecting much, but this movie reminds me of some of the crazy little monster movies thar I watched back in the 80's as a kid. It's a relatively clean movie too, so I think it would be fun for the whole family. Yeah, the humor is pure cheese and it's got puppets, but that's what makes it kinda cool. Instead of relying completely on CGI like most new movies, they use a lot of practical effects. And the music is spot-on, helping with the party vibe. I loved some of the marketing that they did for this movie with the number you could call or text and get a message from Frankie himself. I hope to see more movies like this from writer-director Steven Kostanski. Awesome job, dude! Makes me want to party and get my freak on!

Summary: the Savage Steve Holland-style joke illustrations that accompany the end credits are the best thing about this heavily templated '80s homage. They're a lot of fun. The rest doesn't really get there. It's like a Canva version of Ghoulies Go To College.

I love this creative team's previous work. The Void, Chowboys, Psycho Gorman, yes yes yes. I enjoy the films they're homaging here, from Gremlins to Child's Play to Puppet Master to the barrel-bottom-scraping likes of Hobgoblins and Garbage Pail Kids. I love trash movies in general. I genuinely loved Thankskilling 3. I only sort of regret sitting through Ouija Shark.

So I see the vision here, but it doesn't work. To pull off a pastiche of '80s puppet comedy-horror in 2024, Frankie Freako needs to surprise and build on itself at every turn like Psycho Goreman. But it lacks both the strong central gag of PG (that the little girl was more of a psycho than the title character) and the out-of-nowhere absurdity that popped up in PG's every scene.

This sticks to the '80s kid-friendly lite-horror template so slavishly that there's no room for surprises. Will the uptight yuppie learn to loosen up after a relentless assault of puppet violence and grossouts? I wonder! Will it be zany fun? Not really. The best comic creation here is Conor's incredibly awkward and shady boss, and the film makes the mistake of sidelining him so the other characters can briefly visit another, even cheaper-looking set. Not a good trade-off.

I honestly feel that Thankskilling 3 succeeded much more at doing what this flick tried to do, and believe me, that's not a sentence I ever thought I'd say. If you do watch Frankie Freako, stick around for the comic illustrations that run alongside the end credits. Those were fun and surprising. Wish I'd gotten that from the rest of the movie.