Freaks of Nature (film)

Freaks of Nature is a 2015 American comedy horror film directed by Robbie Pickering and written by Oren Uziel. It stars Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Joan Cusack, Bob Odenkirk, Keegan-Michael Key, Ed Westwick, Patton Oswalt, Vanessa Hudgens and Denis Leary. The film was issued in a limited release by Columbia Pictures on October 30, 2015.[3]

Freaks of Nature
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobbie Pickering
Produced byMatthew Tolmach
Written byOren Uziel
Starring
Music byFil Eisler
CinematographyUta Briesewitz
Edited byCraig Alpert
Production
company
LStar Capital
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • October 30, 2015 (2015-10-30)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$33 million[1]
Box office$70,958[2]

The film follows three high-school outcasts whose social alienation is compounded when they join rival species in a town inhabited by humans, vampires and zombies. Aliens set the species against each other, and the outcasts try to band everyone together to fight the invaders.

Plot

The town of Dillford, Ohio, is home to three species who despise each other: humans, vampires, and zombies.

School nerd Dag sets out to lose his virginity with Lorelei, the hottest girl in school. He has issues with Rick Wilson, the baseball coach and manager of the local meat factory. Rick fired all of the human employees, including Dag's mother, and replaced them with zombies as cheap labor.

Social outcast Petra is transformed into a vampire after being bitten by Milan, the high school's playboy vampire, while they are making out. Dag's former best friend Ned is also a social outcast at high school. Following Petra's transformation into a vampire and an argument with his family, Ned visits the zombie ghetto. He allows a female teenage zombie to bite his leg, transforming him into a zombie.

Aliens invade Dillford, causing residents to believe that the vampires, zombies and humans are attacking each other. Dag and Lorelei hide in a house which is raided by a group of vampires and Lorelei is turned into a vampire by Petra. In subsequent brawls between the factions, Dag, Ned, and Petra join together and hide in Stuart Miller's basement, but Petra and Ned are overcome by hunger and eat Stuart and his mother. The aliens are able to determine their location, causing them to seek cover at the high school. Petra and Dag become trapped and make out, but he flinches and Petra accuses him of being afraid of her. The aliens find them again, and Dag realizes that the aliens can only see inorganic materials, such as their synthetic clothing. The three then strip and run to Dag's house, where they change into organic cotton clothes kept by Dag's hippie mother.

Later, Dag, Petra, and Ned are captured by the aliens. They are placed with other captured residents in a warehouse, with force fields segregating the humans, vampires and zombies. Dag, Ned, and Petra convince everyone to band together to fight the aliens.

At Rick Wilson's meat factory, the chemical "Tetrafluoraxipan" is used to transform horse cartilage into a meat-like substance. The aliens submerge in the chemical and combine to grow into a single large alien. It begins to make a speech, but the town's irritated residents interrupt, enraging it. The alien fights the town's residents who determine that the alien's weakness is ammonia.

Meanwhile, Milan corners Petra and attempts to kill her. He is stopped by Dag, who turns into a werewolf. After a short brawl, Milan is accidentally killed when he lands on a wooden slab, which impales him.

As the outclassed alien is shrinking back to its mini size, it attempts to escape by spaceship while dropping a bomb to destroy the town. Ned catches the bomb and gives it to Dag who throws it into the ship before it closes it's doors and the spaceship explodes, destroying the alien menace.

Everything returns to normal for the town, and it is discovered that Lorelei is alive. However, Dag chooses to be with Petra instead. Ned appears to be happier and better adjusted as a zombie, and seems to have bonded with his star athlete brother who has also become a zombie.

Cast

Production

The film entered development as "The Kitchen Sink". In March 2011, Jonah Hill was reported to be in talks to make his directorial debut with The Kitchen Sink.[4] In February 2012, Robbie Pickering was chosen as the director for the film, though Hill would stay attached to the film as one of the executive producers.[5] The film was renamed from "Kitchen Sink" to "Freaks of Nature".

Casting

In January 2013, it was reported that Nicholas Braun was in talks to join the film as well as Chris Zylka.[6] In July of that same year, it was announced Vanessa Hudgens was in talks to join the film, as well as Denis Leary.[7] On August 15, 2013, it was announced Ed Westwick was in talks to join the film.[8] On August 19, 2013, it was announced Patton Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk, and Ian Roberts, Keegan-Michael Key, and Mackenzie Davis had all joined the cast of the film.[9]

Filming

Principal photography took place in Los Angeles, California, and in Vancouver, British Columbia. Shooting began on August 15, 2013, and lasted 37 days. Shooting locations in Los Angeles included Santa Clarita, Temple City and Van Nuys High School.[10] Vancouver locations included Steveston, Metrotown Mall and A.R. Macneill Secondary School.

Release

The film was initially scheduled for release on January 9, 2015. In October 2014, Sony pushed it back to September 4, 2015.[11] On October 16, 2015, Sony announced it would have a limited release on October 30, 2015.[12]

Soundtrack
  • "My Life Is Right" by Big Star
  • "Fever Dreaming" by No Age
  • "Days" by The Drums
  • "Kill for Love" by Chromatic
  • "It's Simply Love" by The Longo Brothers
  • "On My Mind" by CharlieRED
  • "Deceive"' by Trentemøller
  • "Moments of Love" by Debbie Martin
  • "The Heat" by Jungle
  • "Jump on It" by SweatBeatz
  • "Germ-Free Adolescents" by X-Ray Spex
  • "Evil Soul" by The Young Werewolves
  • "User" by KOVAS
  • "Fall in Love Again" by Fuzzy Dora
  • "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel
  • "Born on a Saturday Night" by Mean Jeans
  • "It's Alright, It's OK" by Primal Scream

Critical reception

Tim Janson of The SciFi Movie Page gave the film 2 stars out of 5 citing, "The ideal way to watch the film would be with your hand on the fast-forward button, stopping when Key, Leary, Odenkirk, and Oswalt are on screen and skipping through when they are not."[13]

See also

References
  1. FilmL.A. (June 15, 2016). "2015 Feature Film Study". Archived from the original on July 4, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  2. "Freaks of Nature (2015)". Box Office Mojo. November 1, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  3. Dave Trumbore (October 16, 2015). "'Freaks of Nature' Red-Band Trailer Is Horrifying in All the Wrong Ways". Collider. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  4. Fleming, Mike (March 1, 2011). "Jonah Hill To Make Directing Debut On Black List Drama 'The Kitchen Sink'". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  5. Fleming, Mike (February 7, 2012). "Robbie Pickering To Direct 'The Kitchen Sink' At Sony Pics". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  6. Sneider, Jeff (January 20, 2013). "Davis, Braun in talks for 'Kitchen Sink'". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  7. Sneider, Jeff (July 30, 2013). "Vanessa Hudgens in Talks for Sony's 'Kitchen Sink,' Denis Leary Set (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  8. Sneider, Jeff (August 15, 2013). "'Gossip Girl' Alum Ed Westwick in Negotiations to Star in Sony's 'Kitchen Sink' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  9. "Patton Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk And Ian Roberts Join Genre Mash-Up 'Kitchen Sink'". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. August 19, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  10. Verrier, Richard (August 21, 2013). "'The Kitchen Sink' is among movies filming around L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  11. Barton, Steve (October 2, 2014). "Sony Moves its Kitchen Sink to Late 2015". Dread Central. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  12. Trumbore, Dave (October 16, 2015). "'Freaks of Nature' Red-Band Trailer Is Horrifying in All the Wrong Ways". Collider.com. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  13. Tim Janson (February 29, 2016). "'Freaks of Nature Blu-Ray Review': SciFi Movie Page review". Retrieved February 29, 2016.
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