Review: 'Freaky' is high-concept horror, with Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton giving strong comic performances

When it comes to high-concept horror — scary movies whose premise can be explained in less than a sentence — the current master of the art is writer-director Christopher Landon, and his latest, the funny and bloody “Freaky,” is a good example of why.

Landon’s recent movies include “Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse,” whose title explains everything, and the one-two punch of “Happy Death Day” and “Happy Death Day 2U,” which can be summed up as “college student gets murdered repeatedly, like ‘Groundhog Day.’” It ain’t brain surgery, but can be clever and effective.

As the title implies, “Freaky” takes the body-swap concept, most famously used in the Disney family comedy “Freaky Friday,” and grafts it onto the horror genre. Landon and co-screenwriter Michael Kennedy begin with a typical slasher-movie set-up: Four high-school kids sitting around a backyard fireplace, drinking and making out, until a masked killer starts murdering them, one by one. As a final touch, he steals a fancy dagger from its display case.

We’re told later it’s an ancient Aztec dagger, used in rituals. This information comes only after the killer, The Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn), tries to kill the mousy Millie (Kathryn Newton), on the football field under a full moon — and, the next morning, Millie and the Butcher wake up occupying each other’s bodies.

Millie faces the problem of convincing her BFFs, super-gay Joshua (Misha Osherovich) and militant Nyla (Celeste O’Connor), and her crush, Booker (Uriah Shelton), that the 6-foot-5 hulk in front of them is really their good friend. Millie also has to keep the public, as well as her mom (Katie Finneran) and policewoman sister (Dana Drori) from seeing her as a big dude.

For the Butcher, what he loses by being in Millie’s comparatively weaker body is gained by having a high school full of unsuspecting victims at his disposal. Conveniently, the Butcher’s first targets include people who have made Millie’s life hell, including mean girl Ryler (Melissa Collazo) and a cruel shop teacher (Alan Ruck).

The gore is overdone to the point of comedy, which fits in the don’t-take-it-seriously tone Landon is trying to set here. “Freaky” doesn’t have the same level of wit Landon brought to the “Happy Death Day” films, but there are some clever gender-bending moments and a fair share of laughs. The dark humor even extends to the closing credits — which is where it’s revealed that three jock characters are named Brett, Squi and Tobin, a sign that Landon was paying attention during the Kavanaugh hearings.

Vaughn, who has languished in so many forgettable bro-centric comedies, here gives his best comic performance in years, channeling the spirit of a nice teen girl trapped in a huge middle-aged man. Conversely, Newton — who has had standout roles in “Blockers” and “Pokemon Detective Pikachu,” among others — also shines here, toggling from sweet sunny Millie to seductive killer. Together, Vaughn and Newton make “Freaky” an entertaining bloodbath.

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‘Freaky’

★★★

Opens Friday, November 13, in theaters where open. Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, sexual content, and language throughout. Running time: 101 minutes.