‘Freaky Tales’ Brings Chaos, Cops and Killer Cameos

A warped love letter to the Bay Area’s raw energy and rebel spirit, Freaky Tales arrives in select UK cinemas from 18 April before hitting digital platforms on 28 April. Directed and written by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the filmmaking duo behind Half Nelson and Captain Marvel, the new feature throws a Molotov cocktail of styles into a vibrant, blood-splattered mixtape of mayhem.

Set in 1987 Oakland, Freaky Tales delivers four interlocking stories, each one pulsing to its own beat but building towards a shared crescendo. The film moves between an underground rap duo trying to break out, a disgraced cop skimming the surface of violence, a grieving teen punk bent on revenge, and an NBA star caught in a moral quagmire. It’s a world in flux, where fantasy bleeds into reality, and battles play out on the graffitied backstreets of a city cracking at the seams.

Bringing this volatile vision to life is one of the most eclectic casts in recent memory. Pedro Pascal takes on a gritty role that leans hard into his anti-hero charisma, while Ben Mendelsohn reunites with the directors for another simmering performance. Normani makes an arresting screen debut as part of the film’s rap duo, commanding attention with a raw edge that suggests a long future in cinema. Elsewhere, Jay Ellis, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, and Ji-young Yoo bring fire to their respective tracks, while the late Angus Cloud lends the film a poignancy that lingers. And in perhaps the biggest twist of all, Tom Hanks shows up in a role that’s as far removed from his wholesome screen image as it gets.

Executive produced by Oakland hip-hop legend Too $hort, Freaky Tales makes no apologies for its style. This is a film with dirt under its fingernails, pulling from a deep love of grindhouse cinema, street-level politics, and the kind of genre collisions rarely seen in mainstream American releases. It has humour, but it’s spiked with acid. There’s action, but it swerves into surrealism. It’s less a plot-driven piece than a hallucinogenic ride through a city teetering on the edge of something profound, and possibly doomed.

Critics who caught the film during its Sundance premiere earlier this year hailed it as a bold swing and a rare burst of originality. The film’s use of real historical events from Reagan-era Oakland adds weight to its fantastical chaos, grounding the wild visuals in a time and place that was already volatile. From punk clubs to police corruption, Freaky Tales weaves cultural references into the structure without making them feel like boxes to be ticked.

There are nods to Tarantino, early Spike Lee, and even Tales from the Hood, but the result is unmistakably its own beast. The film’s non-linear structure and vivid colour palette amplify its dreamlike effect, and while it doesn’t shy away from gore or political commentary, it remains focused on its characters – however flawed, furious or funny they may be.

Following a limited theatrical release, Freaky Tales will be available digitally from 28 April, where its midnight-movie energy and bold genre mash-up seem likely to build a cult following.

Freaky Tales trailer