Freaky Tales

Unashamedly set in the 80’s (1987 to be exact) with a mixture of screen ratios, film grades and quality, Freaky Tales is true blend formats, genres and issues. Taking in sci-fi, horror, racism, bent cops etc on the face of it Oakland, California doesn’t come out looking good.

But dig deeper and there’s a rich seam of the strength of community, friendships and loyalty, even taking into account the more fantastical elements.

The concept has a resemblance to Pulp Fiction with the four interlocking tales, that carry their own stories and characters while having a bearing on the others.

Its no great mind twister though helpfully there are chapter titles to the stories and narrated by hip-hop artist Too $hort. The first is a teen/young adult club that is frequently attacked by nazis, followed by a female rap duo taking up a challenge against a misogynistic male rapper, then the story of an enforcer who suffers a live changing tragedy, ending with a successful pro basketball player demonstrating other skills when he’s pushed beyond his limits.

There’s a lot of fun here for both cineastes and more casual viewers alike. The former with the torrent of film references and the technical elements. The latter with a solid cast and storytelling.

Writer/directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck show once more their adeptness and that they don’t have a comfort zone when it comes to ideas and directing.

They have assembled a large cast of solid experience and relative newcomers Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Pedro Pascal, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud, who along with the rest work wonderfully. And then there’s a scene stealer from Tom Hanks.

At the risk of being repetitive the action and violence draw from the pulp movies of the 80’s and 70’s. One sequence has a definite Bruce Lee influence and a level of violence and bloodletting that cannot be taken seriously on any count.

Wilfully crude at times yet offering up food for thought, Freaky Tales is as easy to enjoy after the pub as in the cinema.

Freaky Tales is in select cinemas from 18 April and on digital platforms from 28 April 2025.