MPAA Rating: NR
Director: Charles Roxburgh
Starring: Matt Farley, Kevin McGee, Sharon Scalzo, Steff Deschenes, James McHugh, Ruth Tyler, Jerry Demers
"Freaky Farley" Video
After watching Freaky Farley, I suddenly became nostalgic for the slew of low-budget horror movies I viewed along with a group of similarly depraved friends each Saturday night at the Athens Theatre in DeLand, Florida, back in the early 1980s. We'd hit the midnight movie, order a couple of pitchers of beer, get totally trashed and watch such campy classics as Don't Go in the Woods, Madman, Eaten Alive, Sleepaway Camp and The Gates of Hell, which starred the incomparable Christopher George. Badly acted and cheaply made, these films were inevitably thoroughly entertaining and always more memorable than the predictable crap Hollywood was churning out at the time. It's obvious that the creators of Freaky Farley share this enthusiasm and they even claim to have been influenced by such low-budget slasher flicks as Silent Night, Deadly Night 2, Rana: The Legend of Shadow Lake and Slumber Party Massacre 3. Directed by Charles Roxburgh, Freaky Farley takes place in a small New England town and stars Matt Farley as Farley Wilder, the town weirdo, a Peeping Tom in a striped shirt who roams the town aimlessly. Farley lives with his domineering father (Kevin McGhee), a local radio talk show host who makes Farley dig a hole in the backyard and immediately refill it whenever he gets into trouble. This dumb kid is universally hated throughout town, except for his annoying neighbor, Katie (Katie Reidy), who has inexplicably developed a crush on this dope. The plot develops a little too slowly as Farley spends a good chunk of the first half of the film just wandering around and getting berated by his idiotic dad. However, things pick up considerably when Farley is soon befriended by the free spirited Scarlett (Sharon Scalzo) and the two quickly become inseparable as they vow to unlock the mystery of Morgantown Woods. Along the way, they encounter a series of eccentric characters, including a strange hobo who rants about the trog monsters who inhabit the woods, a town ninja, a horny witch and an annoying dude named "Air Force Ricky." Freaky Farley definitely has the look and feel of one of those late '70s/early '80s low-budget horror films and the filmmakers use a super-16mm movie camera to great effect. I also enjoyed the superb use of locale as the filmmakers made the most of the scenery surrounding Manchester, New Hampshire. The acting is appropriately over the top, perfect for this type of film. In addition, I got a kick out of the soundtrack, especially the cheesy title track ("Freaky Farley, he's coming for you . . . you better lock your doors tonight . . ." ) Bottom line: Freaky Farley is about 10 times more entertaining and original than half the shit I've been watching on HBO lately, so if you are a huge fan of low-budget horror films that are high on atmosphere and camp value, you will definitely get a kick out of this flick! Personally, I would have actually preferred some more gore and at least a little nudity, but that's just me! Conversely, if you hate movies like the ones mentioned above, I would suggest you stay the hell away from this one . . . Filmmakers Farley and Roxburgh have been making movies together since they met at Providence College in 1996 and their other features include Adventures in Cruben Country and Druid Gladiator Clone. Apparently, they filmed Freaky Farley over the course of just two weeks. I'm definitely looking forward to more films from this creative team and their growing ensemble of actors. In fact, I hear they are scheduled to begin filming their next movie, Monsters, Marriage and Murder in Manchvegas during the summer of 2008. For more information about Freaky Farley, I suggest you visit their myspace page: www.myspace.com/freakyfarleymovie.