There’s a disconnect between the love for the ideal of 80s cinema and that aesthetic and the reality. No doubt, there are legendary movies from that decade, but honestly, that can be said about every decade. The 80s have such a strong pull because so many film geeks are of an age where that was when they grew up, just like for older folks it’s the Golden Age of Hollywood, and so on. For all the great movies of the 1980s, there are a vast number of terrible films that clutter the era. So, when you see filmmakers aping the films of that time, it’s really taking inspiration from the look and feel of the films, and the sincerity.
Then there is PSYCHO GOREMAN or this film, FRANKIE FREAKO, which both take inspiration from that beloved decade but the films are oddly nastier and sweeter than what you would expect. FRANKIE takes movies like GREMLINS and GHOULIES, among others, and mixes it with a touch of E.T. and others, leaving you with a wholly unique movie that will charm you if you let it.
Conor is a simple man who loves his lady, his job, and doing things by the book. What he sees as being an upstanding and sincere person, though, those around him see him as a square, something he is having a hard time coming to terms with. When he sees a late-night television ad for a 1-900 number offering the services of one Frankie Freako, a creature of small stature that wants to teach you how to party. Conor fed up with how he is seen, calls the number and cannot imagine what is in store once Frankie and his friends come calling.
As I said, it’s a mix of 80’s nostalgia and modern sensibilities with a film that feels as if it will go for some of the sleaziness of that decade but it never does. It, at times, feels rather chaste in what it’s doing, which is very refreshing. The film is over the top, bloody, and ridiculous, but it all works because the film is so sincere. The characters are fun, the story is strange, and it strikes a tone that keeps things from self-parody. Frankie and his friends are the stars of the show here, and they look good – as good as you would expect, and want. The work is because of the voice acting but the characters give a distinct feeling of 80s creature features and keep them as puppets and not CGI.
This will be an acquired taste, sure, but it’s a refreshingly weird, and fun movie that will charm a lot of folks and become a new cult classic. If you remember the 80s fondly and love your films to be weird, then you will not want to miss this one. Absolutely recommended.
You will have a blast.
The film is available in the United States and will be available in the UK and Ireland July 14.
4 out of 5
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 