Horror comedies seem to be popping up more and more. And while the sub genre isn’t exactly over saturated, it can certainly be done in a variety of ways. Either with a steady heart and an end goal in mind (Housebound), or a shameless, soulless spoof of a movie (A Haunted House). I think Freaks of Nature falls somewhere in between. It’s not an outright spoof, but no one is going to accuse the film of taking itself too seriously either. The story is set in a small town inhabited by 3 groups; humans, vampires and zombies. That alone might have some people groaning and putting this one back on the shelf, but I suggest that you hang in there.

Freaks of Nature is filled with a ton of familiar faces peppered in throughout the film such as Denis Leary, Patton Oswalt, Vanessa Hudgens, and more. For the most part, the acting is on point save for a few lines that seem forced, but that could just as easily be contributed to the nature of the character they’re portraying. It follows 3 high school kids dealing with (all things considered) normal high school problems. They’re simple and easy to relate to. In fact, you can almost believe this town is an actual functioning society with all of these wildly varied groups living among one another. Believe it or not, the town lives in relative peace until an alien invasion (yes we are going even deeper into the horror rabbit hole) stirs up conspiracies that one side is trying to eradicate the other.

If you go into Freaks of Nature thinking it’s going to scare you, you will undoubtedly be disappointed.

Aesthetically, Freaks of Nature is up there with the best of them. You can tell this one actually had a bit of the budget behind it. Well, except for the early alien scenes. . . aliens are hard. The zombie make-up is on par with anything seen on television or comparable films, and the vampires are pasty and gorgeous as to appease recent tropes. The longer they go without feeding, the more they decay into a more primal and threatening look. It’s a neat touch. And yes, the death scenes are gory and abundant. Once the movie kicks into gear, it’s a bloody mess until the final credits begin to roll.

That said, this is a comedy movie with horror themes. If you go into Freaks of Nature thinking it’s going to scare you, you will undoubtedly be disappointed. It’s trying to make you laugh from start to finish, and it’s mostly successful at doing so. Some of the jokes fall flat, but they can’t all be winners–nor do they have to be. It has laughs for anyone ranging from simple foul mouth crude humor, to subtle and dry jabs that some might not even catch. Because you know, you’re watching vampire bodies explode like water balloons when staked.

Freaks of Nature is now available on VOD, and while it isn’t genre shattering, it’s a fun (and often crude) ride. I can always appreciate some fun humor even if it is at the expense of my favorite genre. 

freaks poster