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| Images courtesy of Shout Factory |
Astron-6 has become one of my favorite creators of horror films in the past decade. They work with minuscule budgets to produce some of the most creative and hilarious indie shlock films to grace the screen. Continuing the tradition that Troma started in the ‘80s of shocking and gross comedy/horror, Astron-6 is one of the last bastions of exploitation cinema in an increasingly bland genre. Their earlier work was geared more toward ‘80s homage, with Father’s Day (2011) and Manborg (2011) representing different styles in that era of horror. They then tackled 1970s Italian giallo slasher/supernatural flicks with their 2014 film The Editor. Steven Kotanski did some solo projects with The Void (2016) and the extremely well-received Psycho Goreman (2021), but Frankie Freako (2024) is a return to the sillier roots of Astron-6.
Conor (Conor Sweeny) is a high-strung, square workaholic whose biggest idea of letting loose is hardcore holding hands with his wife Kristina (Kristy Wordsworth) and getting a pizza with two different kinds of cheese delivered on a Friday night. His workplace is a purgatory of cubicles and busy work, and his boss, Mr. Buechler (Adam Brooks), is threatening to replace him with someone with more zest and drive in life. What's a yuppie to shabbadoo in a situation like this? Luckily, Conor catches a late-night TV ad for 1-900-555-FREAKO, in which an obnoxious 'lil goblin dude named Frankie Freako promises a world full of partying, and quicker than a "Conor Count of Three" he's out of the TV and in Conor's house along with his equally freaky associates Dottie Dunko and Boink Bardo.
Frankie Freako will immediately tickle the nostalgia centers for people who have seen flicks like Garbage Pail Kids (1987), Little Monsters (1989), Ghoulies (1985), or Puppet Master (1989). There was an entire cottage industry in the '80s for movies about weird little puppet guys and the havoc they can wreak. As soon as the Freakos show up, they start vandalizing and tearing up Conor's house, and he quickly realizes that he bit off more than he can chew. The first act starts the story off on a weird foot, mainly because it feels aimless in its set-up, and it takes a bit for the style of humor to warm up to the audience. The writing is intentionally ridiculous, almost dry in its commitment to a non sequitur, but the preteen-level humor is there to be a contrast to the over-the-top and occasionally gruesome gore and practical effects. The puppets look fantastic and have expressive faces, and once the film goes to Freako World, it's a feast for the eyes as they go all out in depicting the madness.
There is a fine line between pastiche and derivative when it comes to homage films, and Frankie Freako manages to simultaneously be a celebration and a satire of '80s creature features. It's obvious these guys love the films they are referencing, but they aren't afraid to go to darker places with the material, such as the idea that Conor is being human trafficked to be a sex slave in Freako World, or the fact that this world is under a fascist dictatorship and the Freakos are revolutionaries on top of being radical party people. The story doesn't take itself too seriously, and like in many Astron-6 works, the ending is basically a shitpost troll. Frankie Freako is a fun time for those who are down to get a little freaky for an hour-and-a-half.
--Michelle Kisner