Freaky Tales

"In 1987, Oakland was hella freaky."

2025 1h 47m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 274

ActionCrimeComedy

Synopsis

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In 1987 Oakland, a mysterious force guides The Town's underdogs in four interconnected tales: teen punks defend their turf against Nazi skinheads, a rap duo battles for hip-hop immortality, a weary henchman gets a shot at redemption, and an NBA All-Star settles the score.

“In 1987, Oakland was hella freaky.”

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Cast

Jay Ellis
Sleepy Floyd
Pedro Pascal
Clint
Ben Mendelsohn
The Guy
Normani
Entice
Dominique Thorne
Barbie
Jack Champion
Lucid
Ji-young Yoo
Tina
Angus Cloud
Travis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anna Boden
Writers: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Languages: English, Korean
Countries: Canada, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Korean.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Anna Boden, shot by Jac Fitzgerald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Raphael Saadiq. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Komatsu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jay Ellis and Pedro Pascal and Ben Mendelsohn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In 1987, Oakland was hella freaky.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anna Boden directs. Jac Fitzgerald behind the camera. Raphael Saadiq scores. Robert Komatsu cuts. Produced in Canada, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released last year.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Korean.
3International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.
4Directed by Anna Boden, shot by Jac Fitzgerald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Raphael Saadiq. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert Komatsu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jay Ellis and Pedro Pascal and Ben Mendelsohn carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "In 1987, Oakland was hella freaky.".
9IMDB entry: tt21942598 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 25 themes, including "martial arts", "skinhead", "nazi", "assault".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jac Fitzgerald
Original score: Raphael Saadiq
Editing: Robert Komatsu
Production design: Patti Podesta
Makeup / hair: Sarah Coy
VFX supervisor: Rian Danielle Johnson
Sound: Christian T. Cooke
Stunt coordinator: Ron Yuan
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $400,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Freaky Tales (2025)

Also by

Anna Boden

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2025-04-05
★ 7/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/freaky-tales-review-a-wild-genre-blending-tribute-to-80s-filmmaking/ "Freaky Tales delivers exactly what it sets out to: a hyper-stylized, adrenaline-fueled spectacle bursting with energy and '80s cinema tributes, without any grand thematic pretensions. While its narrative lacks cohesion and more substantial development of its themes and characters, it more than makes up for it with its frenetic pace, distinctive visuals, and pure entertainment value that keeps viewers engaged from start to finish. With charismatic performances, an electrifying soundtrack, and an utterly chaotic finale, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck present a film that, while not for everyone, will undoubtedly find its audience among genre cinema and nostalgia fans." Rating: B
Rock Biter2025-08-13
★ 8/10
An anthology style film, set over a few chapters, that tie together all the characters. There wasn't too much in character development but it felt like it wasn't really needed since it's broken down into chapters. The premise of each chapter is what amounted to the fun this film is. It's a little over the top but that's what contributeds to the charm of this film. I truly appreciate the use of 924 Gilman as a set because, well, i was in my late teens during the year this film takes place and I made many treks from Tahoe area to the Gilman to see shows there, practically from the get go. I feel this film scores well with me because it's the era i came of age.
The Fixate & Binge Podcast, w/ Joe Curdy2026-07-29
★ 8/10
I'm old enough to remember Jello Biafra's Dead Kennedys' anthem for our times (which seems more necessary today than ever before) "Nazi Punks, F\*#k Off!" -- and the counter-culture movement of early-to-mid-80s punk rock, a phase I fully embraced growing up in a suburb of Houston Texas over 40 years ago. Director's Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have created a veritable Time Machine that seamlessly takes us back to a pivotal period in late-80s Oakland, California that, while not a native of California, I fully felt immersed in because of my suburban Houston roots. And while Oakland had Too$hort carries some debatable differences to Houston's own Ghetto Boys -- one thing in common was the presence of the inner-city/suburban Neo-Nazi movement (which is another story I could tell about a late friend who fell in hard with the Skinhead movement). With an effectively written interlocking story that tracks the domino effect of a racist cop, the underground and inclusive Punk Scene forced to fight back, an inner-city rap duo with big dreams, a Pulp Fiction style debt collector who's used up his nine lives, and a bonkers finale that fully lives up to the film's title, I greatly enjoyed what is destined to be a cult classic. Starring Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Dominique Thorne, Normani, Ben Mendelsohn, Jiyouong Yoo, the late Angus Cloud, Sedrick Cabrera, and Jack Champion -- FREAKY TALES is a love letter to 1980s Oakland, and one helluva ride loaded with Oakland cameos that never sags or feels loaded with tripe. Streaming on HBO MAX now, my only regret is not seeing this in the cinemas when it was initially released in April of this year.