FREAKY TALES – A Gritty, Genre-Blending Ode to Oakland
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Directed by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Ben Mendelsohn
Release Date: April 4, 2025
Platform: Theatrical
Rating: 4/5
By Crystal Justine & Stephen Lackey
“Gory, irreverent, nostalgic, and relentlessly fun!”
FREAKY TALES is a deliberately unpolished, yet wildly imaginative anthology film set over the course of a single night in Oakland, California in 1987. Comprised of four interwoven stories, the film is bound together by a shared supernatural thread—a mysterious green light—and an energetic homage to the genres of horror, action, and musical cinema. It also grounds itself in real cultural and historical moments, including a pivotal night in NBA history. With so much going on, the central question becomes: does it all come together effectively?
The date is May 10, 1987. The Golden State Warriors face off against the Los Angeles Lakers in a landmark playoff game. In the fourth quarter, Sleepy Floyd scored an astounding 29 points, securing a historic victory. Though FREAKY TALES is not a sports movie per se, this real-life event serves as a kinetic backdrop for the film’s interconnected narratives.
Punk History Gets Bloody
What makes the film’s first segment even more exhilarating is that it’s rooted in true punk history. The scene-stealing opener, which sees a defiant group of punks squaring off against neo-Nazi skinheads, is based on a real brawl that took place at 924 Gilman Street, which was an all-ages, all-volunteer punk venue in Berkeley, California. Filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck worked directly with Gilman volunteers past and present to bring this sequence to life authentically.
In the late ’80s, skinheads frequently barged into shows, starting fights, assaulting women, and smashing band equipment. But one night, during an Operation Ivy concert, the punks had had enough. While the group was typically anti-violence, the crowd took a vote and decided to fight back. When the Nazis returned, they were met by a wall of punks wielding bats, chains, and whatever could be used as a weapon. The fight spilled into the streets and the neo-Nazis were ultimately chased off.
The scene is dramatized only slightly and lines up closely with real accounts, including one recounted in the punk documentary Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk. Operation Ivy, a band that defined Gilman’s sound in that era, is shown playing two songs in the film, with guitarist Lint even making a cameo. The band also handpicked Aphids, an L.A. punk band, to portray them in the film. It’s a sequence that isn’t just badass, but it’s punk canon, preserved through cinema.
A Love Letter to the Bay Area
If FREAKY TALES wears its love for genre on its sleeve, it wraps its love for Oakland and the Bay Area around its whole beating heart. From Too Short’s omnipresent narration to the lovingly reimagined cultural landmarks, this film is a treasure chest of Bay Area flavor. The second segment, which follows two aspiring female rappers recording “Don’t Fight the Feelin’” with Too Short and real-life girl group Danger Zone, is loosely based on true events. While the dramatization adds flair, the roots are real.
Too Short, who is portrayed in the film by rapper Symba, serves as narrator, executive producer, and even has a cameo. His nearly 10-minute track from 1987 not only inspired the movie’s title but captures the film’s tone. The soundtrack is filled with music from Bay Area icons like Sly & the Family Stone, Metallica, E-40, Stevie B, Pebbles, and punk acts like The Avengers. Yet it never feels like a playlist. It feels like the Bay.
Locals will spot nods to the Bay throughout, like the Mormon Temple, the Oakland Coliseum and Arena, and a hilarious spoof commercial for a fictional mind-healing program called Psytopics, inspired by the offbeat spiritual centers that once dotted Bay Area television. Director Fleck, who grew up in the region, explained the influence of those ads as part of what gives FREAKY TALES its surreal magic.
Perhaps most poignantly, the film features the late Angus Cloud, an Oakland native, in his final role before his tragic passing in 2023. Cloud’s presence is quiet, but his inclusion feels like a full-circle tribute to the city he loved and repped with pride.
Style, Sound, and Spectacle
FREAKY TALES draws clear inspiration from cult classic anthology films like Creepshow, Tales from the Darkside, and Tales from the Hood, but its influences also stretch to Pulp Fiction, Blade, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and even The Last Dragon. While it never overtly references these films, it pays homage through aesthetic choices, narrative structure, and editing style. A diner scene, for instance, unmistakably evokes Pulp Fiction—not through imitation, but through tonal resonance.
Writer-directors Boden and Fleck approach the film with infectious enthusiasm. Fleck leans into his deep nostalgia for the Bay Area, while Boden provides the balance needed to keep the project grounded. It’s almost surreal to think the duo once helmed Captain Marvel, given the indie spirit that pulses through FREAKY TALES.
Imperfect, Unapologetic, and Unforgettable
At its core, FREAKY TALES is a celebration of genre and memory, driven by style and sound. The segments are cleverly connected, but there’s a lingering sense of incompleteness—this is one of those rare cases where the film could have benefited from a slightly longer runtime. The segment featuring the two aspiring rappers is full of charm and energy but ultimately feels underdeveloped. Conversely, the bookend segments—Punks vs. Nazis and the Sleepy Floyd story—are standouts, and a hilarious video store scene with a surprising A-list cameo earns genuine belly laughs, right in the middle of the madness.
The film’s soundtrack stands out in all the right ways, striking a balance between era-authentic and refreshingly unexpected. Appearances by the real Too Short and Sleepy Floyd add an extra layer of legitimacy to the proceedings. As with any anthology, the quality and tone vary from story to story, but none overstays their welcome.
FREAKY TALES is gory, irreverent, nostalgic, and relentlessly fun. Its rough edges are not flaws but features—part of what makes the film so charming and memorable. It’s not just a movie. It’s a memory. A mixtape. A riot. A love letter in fluorescent ink to the weird, wild heart of the Bay.
