Retrospective: Freaky Farley (2007)

[Jerry Saravia]

FREAKY FARLEY (2007)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
RATING: Three stars

For a freakishly funny, savvy and thoroughly enjoyable parody of 70's
and 80's horror flicks, you can't do better than Freaky Farley. Though
hardly perfect or perfectly realized, it is still a nice little
surprise for those who are hungry for something other than Scream or
Saw.

Freaky Farley (Matt Farley) is from a small New England town where he
is something of a legend (he is one of three legends). No, he is not a
witch or a medicine man living in the woods - he is a town freak who
spies on women with binoculars and wears the same black-and-white
striped shirt since childhood. Farley lives with his stern,
domineering father (Kevin McGee), a self-help radio host, who gives
his son comprehensive tests in the morning! One assumes that if he
gets a failing grade on a test, Farley has to dig a hole in the
backyard, four feet deep and four foot wide (Catholic School was never
that strict). That punishment isn't just for poor test scores
(including scoring an 86 percent - boy is his father tough!) but it
also includes anything Farley does wrong. His father wants Farley to
go out and get a job with a local telephone company that results in
one of the funniest scenes involving a female employer - I wouldn't
spoil it for you. Essentially, his father wants him to become a man,
and wear a different shirt!

Just when you think that things can't get loonier, Farley falls for
Scarlett (Sharon Scalzo), an adventurous girl who is as interested in
spying and in the local townsfolk as Farley is (she spots him spying
and becomes intrigued). They form a bond, which causes great concern
from Farley's father and a next-door neighbor, Katie (Katie Reidy),
who somehow knows exactly every move Farley makes and acts like a 2-
year-old in the process. Added to that is some mysterious cabin from
the Morgantown Woods and monsters (!) that the town is trying to keep
secret - a secret that Farley and Scarlett are desperate to unveil.
And for connoisseurs of offbeat characters for the sake of being
offbeat, we have a scared ninja, a hobo who speaks of the danger in
the woods, and a seductive local witch.


Granted, "Freaky Farley" is not to be taken seriously nor is it
resolutely non-horror either. Take it as something that makes fun of
horror without having its tongue in its cheek. For example, there are
instances where writer-director Charles Roxburgh and co-writer Matt
Farley (member of the band Moes Haven) aim for a fleeting character
study. Farley always wears the same shirt, as perhaps a rebellious
stance against his father (Farley keeps a few of the same shirts in
his closet). Also interesting is how Farley is not afraid of anything
or afraid of leaving the house - he is not an insular freak like the
albino in "Powder" nor does he do anything freakish or sociopathic
(spying is something any male might do, but maybe when you are pushing
30, you are pushing it). When he meets Scarlett, he falls for her but
still keeps his hands in his pockets. He likes her sense of spirit and
adventure - this doesn't develop into a sexual relationship (he gets
nervous and looks away when she goes skinny dipping yet he loves
watching women undress through their bedroom windows). And the movie
develops a sweetness and innocence that doesn't stray far from Mark
Twain territory crossed with a little Nancy Drew, which is unusual for
a movie of this type. As for the Twain reference, their relationship
mirrors the Becky and Tom Sawyer relationship.

"Freaky Farley" falls under some of the traps of independent
productions. It isn't smoothly acted or directed but then again,
neither were the inspirations for the filmmakers ("Silent Night,
Deadly Night Part 2" is not one of the proudest moments in film
horror). But the flaws, which are expected in lower-budgeted
productions, are outweighed by the pluses. For once, we have an indie
horror flick that is shot on 16 mm film, as opposed to mini-DV. This
lends the film a certain beauty that it wouldn't otherwise have.
Secondly, the locations feel alive and haunting, especially the
Morgantown woods. Thirdly, the script is haywire but always fun and
surprising - you can't anticipate where the story is headed. I would
also add that Matt Farley as Farley has devious, arched eyebrows that
reminded me a little of Anthony Perkins. He keeps the story flowing
from the absurd to the prototypically strange. And part of the mystery
and the zany tonal shifts is that we do not know how freaky Farley
really is.


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