Frankie Freako

Listen I get that it is supposed to be shlocky fun but ugh it really never lets up reminding you of the "so bad it's good!," angle. It sort of felt like a movie made to test the limits of what masochist fans of purposefully obtuse alternative comedy would be willing to accept. Like if Tim and Eric wrote and directed Chucky. Frankie Freako is just as annoying or awesome as you would imagine that would be depending on your taste. Fans of pure brainrot schlock humor might get a kick out of "shabadoo," spamming but if you still have a pulse you might want to avoid seeing this thing as it will undoubtedly provide you with a long and uncomfortably painful watch experience. If it was a short or part of anthology I probably could have got behind it more but whew it makes for a hard feature length watch imo.

People throw around the expressive praise "the most fun you'll have at the movies this year" quite a lot and it can be hyperbolic screaming off the front of movie advertisements but in the case of Steven Kostanski's Frankie Freako it just might be true. This is a Midnite Movie blast of endearing satirical schlock, a genuinely sweet creature feature in the tradition of stuff like Gremlins and Critters and while it's specific brand of oddball deadpan humour won't be for everyone, I was utterly transported. A relatively buttoned down family man/office worker (Conor Sweeney) has a tame, safe existence to the point that his own wife (Kristy Wordsworth) calls him a 'square.' One day a troupe of howlin' mad little creatures from a maniacal TV ad invade the sanctity of his conservative 1980's yuppie domain and throw an extended, very chaotic house party that more than threatens his benign daily routine. What's a guy to do? Get swept up in an adventure that plays like Troma meets Amblin and surrender to the good times, that's what. Filmmaker Kostanski also previously helmed The Void (2016) and Psycho Goreman (2020) which are already in my personal all time favourite collection. He pulls off a hat trick here with a film so raucously charming and mischievously effervescent it could wipe anyone's bad mood slate clean. Frankie and his adorable band of tiny little goons are all brought to life using lovingly kitschy practical puppet effects that are assured enough to be believable and deliberately creaky enough to pay homage to the films that clearly inspired them. Kostanski has a deep love for everything 80's horror from Lovecraftian cosmic angst to madcap creature feature irreverence and tips his hat while finding his own distinct groove in the genre. Quite literally the most fun you may have at the movies this year.

I was at least 30 minutes into Frankie Freako before I realized I was watching a new film by the writer and director of both Psycho Goreman AND Heart of Karl. I don't know how I could be so irresponsible--I should have had the release date on my calendar months ago!

So this story didn't quite grab me the way some of his past work did. There wasn't really a character that kept me cracking up all the way through on the level of a Mimi, or a PG. My favorite moments were probably with the supervisor played by Adam Brooks--he always seems to find a way to inject wacky, unexpected humor into his scenes. There were plenty of all-star cameos, but I didn't pick up on them until looking over the credits. I was also kind of surprised that the title character didn't really end up doing too many wild, outrageous things. But my sense is that fans of Kostanski's unique world-building will have fun with this one.

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!

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!