Freaky Tales

gets its first trailer, previewing a bloody and darkly comedic new action movie starring Pedro Pascal. Written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the upcoming film tells four interconnected stories in Oakland, California, in 1987, one of which involves the robbing of NBA player Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis). Pascal stars in the movie as Clint, a fixer pressured to take on one last job, with other cast members including Ben Mendelsohn, Jack Champion, Dominique Thorne, Ji-young Yoo, and the late Angus Cloud.

Lionsgate now shares the first trailer for Freaky Tales, providing the best look yet at the wacky genre mashup. The trailer reveals that Mendelsohn will play a key villain in the story and Sleepy Floyd is anything but sleepy. One standout moment in the trailer features Floyd grabbing a sword and starting to slice up the intruders in his house. On top of this carnage, however, there also appears to be a touching love story involving Pascal’s character and his pregnant partner. Check out the trailer below:

What The Freaky Tales Trailer Means For The Film

Reviews Have Already Arrived

Though the trailer has only just arrived, Freaky Tales reviews are already here, providing a better idea of what the film has in store for audiences. The movie premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January, and the response has been generally positive from critics. In her review for ScreenRant, Mae Abdulbaki admits that the supernatural elements in the movie may not totally work, but there’s enough style here to make it an entertaining ride:

Boden and Fleck get really creative with the narrative, especially. Amid rap battles and mystic fights with Nazis, the film’s visuals are tremendous, elevating the 1987 setting beyond callbacks and nostalgia. In one crucial scene, animation is used to convey a big basketball game between the Warriors and the Lakers, and it adds a touch of fun. That’s not the only instance the animation is used, but other imaginative flourishes bring us more fully into the narrative.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Freaky Tales is off to a respectable start with 69% from 45 reviews. This score could change, though, as more reviews are added. For Pascal, Freaky Tales contributes to a busy year. The actor is set to appear in The Last of Us season 2 this spring before then taking center stage in this summer’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He’s also set to appear in Ari Aster’s Eddington at some point this year.

Our Take On The Freaky Tales Trailer

Getting The Tone Right Will Be Crucial

Genre mashups like Freaky Tales can be tricky because it’s often hard to get the tonal balance right. Reviews, however, would suggest that the film is mostly successful, and the trailer certainly makes a compelling case as well. What’s not featured in the trailer that is mentioned in reviews, however, is a supernatural element. Though ScreenRant‘s review suggests the supernatural elements don’t feel like a necessary part of the film, audiences may have a different reaction. With Freaky Tales set to hit theaters on April 4, it won’t be long until viewer reactions start rolling in.

Source: Lionsgate