Surprisingly good cult comedy type film. If you like psychotronic cinema, horror and cult movies I highly recommend it because it's really funny. Seems like it was filmed 20 years before it was realsed and has an old school music score that gives it a lot of charm. Reminded me of The Pit in certain parts and elements of John Waters films. Highly recommended
8 Reviews
Insane Fun!
flickrkidkabob127 November 2010
OK, I know this one is homemade. But it's fun homemade. Sort of out-of- control homemade. And that makes it worth watching.
I'd say it's a comedy/horror, with the emphasis on comedy, particularly the entertaining characters who live in this small New England town. The main character is "Freaky" Farley, a misunderstood, can't catch a break guy who just want some fun and to get away from the clutches of his father, the mean Mr. Wilder. Then there's Scarlett, the cute and risk-taking girl that he meets. And the town Witch. And the Ninja.
Freaky Farley has been keeping his rage inside forever, never finding an outlet. When he finally starts to stand up to his dad, watch out! He's a funny guy and though he's sort of the town loser, you like him.
Rent this one for good small town, Halloween time feel. enjoy!
I'd say it's a comedy/horror, with the emphasis on comedy, particularly the entertaining characters who live in this small New England town. The main character is "Freaky" Farley, a misunderstood, can't catch a break guy who just want some fun and to get away from the clutches of his father, the mean Mr. Wilder. Then there's Scarlett, the cute and risk-taking girl that he meets. And the town Witch. And the Ninja.
Freaky Farley has been keeping his rage inside forever, never finding an outlet. When he finally starts to stand up to his dad, watch out! He's a funny guy and though he's sort of the town loser, you like him.
Rent this one for good small town, Halloween time feel. enjoy!
Amateurs give their all
dfranzen703 December 2009
A little while ago, I reviewed a low-budget filmed called Monsters, Marriage and Murder in Manchvegas. I didn't care for it too much, but what did I expect, with a title like that? The makers of that gem offered, somewhat illogically, to send me a copy of their earlier work, Freaky Farley, a movie about a creepy Peeping Tom who gets mixed up with a spirited lass while chafing under the control of his domineering dad.
You don't see many movies in which a Peeping Tom is sort of the good guy. Farley Wilder (writer-producer Matt Farley) is the weird guy in your neighborhood who spends his time walking in the woods or hiding in the bushes. Farley is sort of a poster child for arrested development, whereas his dad (Kevin McGee) is a bit of a hardass, and has been since his wife died. Farley's dad is always getting on his case, as fathers are wont to do, but the elder Wilder essentially verbally and psychologically abuses his kid for years and years, pushing Farley closer and closer to the brink of madness.
Meanwhile, the young man is beset by two different young women: Katy, a younger girl next door (literally) who's more annoying than interesting to Farley, and Scarlett (Sharon Scalzo), an independent muse who's working on a book. No longer a complete loner, Farley begins keeping company with Scarlett, much to the chagrin of his father.
As with Monsters, Marriage and Murder in Manchvegas, the acting, script, direction, and photography are all pretty mediocre, but there are some bright spots. Okay, not many, but overall the acting was definitely better. In fact, leading man Farley is better here than in the later film, perhaps because he's playing a psychotic Peeping Tom. But even better is Scalzo as the trippy Scarlett; unlike most others in the cast, she seems to believe in the silly dialog she's given to speak. (Hey, selling the script is half of what acting is all about.) The thing is, it feels like there's much more effort made here than in the more-recent film. After all, even if you're given crap to work with, you can put a happy face on it and do your best. Sometimes a bounty of enthusiasm can make up for certain, shall we say, deficiencies.
You got to give props to a movie in which a character says something like "We're sending him along to keep an eye on you" while pointing to his own eye. That, my friends, is serious thespianism right there.
You also have to love a movie that lifts sound effects from the computer game Doom. At least it sounds a heck of a lot like it, and I've played a lot, lot, lot, lot of Doom in my time. (No more. Cold turkey. On the wagon now.) Still and all, considering the low, low budget and inexperienced cast and crew, this isn't nearly as horrible as it could have been. It helps a bit if you watch it ironically, as if the goings-on were a big joke to which only you were privy.
You don't see many movies in which a Peeping Tom is sort of the good guy. Farley Wilder (writer-producer Matt Farley) is the weird guy in your neighborhood who spends his time walking in the woods or hiding in the bushes. Farley is sort of a poster child for arrested development, whereas his dad (Kevin McGee) is a bit of a hardass, and has been since his wife died. Farley's dad is always getting on his case, as fathers are wont to do, but the elder Wilder essentially verbally and psychologically abuses his kid for years and years, pushing Farley closer and closer to the brink of madness.
Meanwhile, the young man is beset by two different young women: Katy, a younger girl next door (literally) who's more annoying than interesting to Farley, and Scarlett (Sharon Scalzo), an independent muse who's working on a book. No longer a complete loner, Farley begins keeping company with Scarlett, much to the chagrin of his father.
As with Monsters, Marriage and Murder in Manchvegas, the acting, script, direction, and photography are all pretty mediocre, but there are some bright spots. Okay, not many, but overall the acting was definitely better. In fact, leading man Farley is better here than in the later film, perhaps because he's playing a psychotic Peeping Tom. But even better is Scalzo as the trippy Scarlett; unlike most others in the cast, she seems to believe in the silly dialog she's given to speak. (Hey, selling the script is half of what acting is all about.) The thing is, it feels like there's much more effort made here than in the more-recent film. After all, even if you're given crap to work with, you can put a happy face on it and do your best. Sometimes a bounty of enthusiasm can make up for certain, shall we say, deficiencies.
You got to give props to a movie in which a character says something like "We're sending him along to keep an eye on you" while pointing to his own eye. That, my friends, is serious thespianism right there.
You also have to love a movie that lifts sound effects from the computer game Doom. At least it sounds a heck of a lot like it, and I've played a lot, lot, lot, lot of Doom in my time. (No more. Cold turkey. On the wagon now.) Still and all, considering the low, low budget and inexperienced cast and crew, this isn't nearly as horrible as it could have been. It helps a bit if you watch it ironically, as if the goings-on were a big joke to which only you were privy.
weird low-budget fun
drloomis_carpenter_198011 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Freaky Farley is one of those love-it or hate-it movies. If you get the humor and are willing to let go of hyper-critical mode, then you should have some fun with it. If you expect a normal, Hollywood movie, then there's a good chance you won't like it.
The main character is the titular "Freaky Farley"... a local weirdo (more of a loner, I guess, than weird) who suffers at the hand of a domineering father. He's sort of stuck in a rut, until he isn't (no spoilers here, you'll just have to see for yourself).
My roommate didn't get it, but I totally did. Personally, I just think you have to have an open mind. And don't expect much horror...though the autumn, New England, Halloween-time feel is nice; this movie is a comedy.
I just sort of fell for the weird characters, and it's a pretty fast movie, with a not-dragged out ending.
Enjoy!
The main character is the titular "Freaky Farley"... a local weirdo (more of a loner, I guess, than weird) who suffers at the hand of a domineering father. He's sort of stuck in a rut, until he isn't (no spoilers here, you'll just have to see for yourself).
My roommate didn't get it, but I totally did. Personally, I just think you have to have an open mind. And don't expect much horror...though the autumn, New England, Halloween-time feel is nice; this movie is a comedy.
I just sort of fell for the weird characters, and it's a pretty fast movie, with a not-dragged out ending.
Enjoy!
Freak of the Weak
NoDakTatum5 November 2023
Charles Roxburgh and Matt Farley give us this, an homage to all those cheap and cheesy '70's and '80's horror movies many of us grew up on. Unfortunately, their effort isn't much better than the worse of those things. The film is book ended by a visit to an insane asylum by Dr. Timson (Ruth Tyler). She is there to interview Farley (Matt Farley), who is locked up for some crimes that he begins to talk her about in flashback. It seems Farley is the local weirdo- or at least one of a few (we also have a town witch and a town ninja). He constantly wears a black and white striped shirt and peeks in young women's windows, when he isn't being punished by his father (a pretty good Kevin McGee) who forces him to dig holes in the backyard, and then fill them in. Farley lost his mother when he was younger, and his father refuses to talk about what happened. All Farley knows is that something other than a car accident happened in the woods at the family cabin. Farley hangs around in the woods, listening to his father's radio call-in show and being tested on it. He tries to flub a job interview, but even fails at that, as the woman doing the hiring shows some interest in him. Farley meets Scarlett (Sharon Scalzo), who is writing a novel about small town weirdos, and finds a good subject in Farley. The two are inseparable, and Scarlett gets Farley to begin to assert himself. Farley's fragile mental state is ruptured by some horrific events, and his hometown finds itself with a killing spree on its hands, and I haven't even mentioned what is also lurking in the woods.
Just as with the film after this, "Monsters, Marriage, and Murder in Manchvegas," Roxburgh and Farley present the viewer with their own skewed world, which I once again could not find myself wanting to be a part of. Do not be misled by the film makers' inspirations on the DVD cover, the film's gore consists of what looks like hamburger meat and ketchup. Until the world's most mild killing spree, the film does drag. Farley (the actor) has a strangely compelling camera presence, and curiosity kept me from kicking this out of the DVD player. As in "Monsters...," Scalzo has another almost-nude scene, the film could pass for PG-13, and I ended the experience wondering if Roxburgh and Farley were holding back due to budgetary concerns, or because they think their satiric touches are more interesting than the horror elements. The two did review horror films themselves, and do these ultra-budget films with friends and families, but I wish they would really let loose with something besides these terminal cases of the quirks and the cutes. One plus here is that the story is shot on actual film, which is not cheap, and gives us a very professional look. Roxburgh can set up a shot, and the editing is crisp. I am sure this is the jaded film critic complaining again, but when you watch as many movies as I do, low-budget or not, you crave something different. Farley eventually gave me that with the superior "Local Legends."
Just as with the film after this, "Monsters, Marriage, and Murder in Manchvegas," Roxburgh and Farley present the viewer with their own skewed world, which I once again could not find myself wanting to be a part of. Do not be misled by the film makers' inspirations on the DVD cover, the film's gore consists of what looks like hamburger meat and ketchup. Until the world's most mild killing spree, the film does drag. Farley (the actor) has a strangely compelling camera presence, and curiosity kept me from kicking this out of the DVD player. As in "Monsters...," Scalzo has another almost-nude scene, the film could pass for PG-13, and I ended the experience wondering if Roxburgh and Farley were holding back due to budgetary concerns, or because they think their satiric touches are more interesting than the horror elements. The two did review horror films themselves, and do these ultra-budget films with friends and families, but I wish they would really let loose with something besides these terminal cases of the quirks and the cutes. One plus here is that the story is shot on actual film, which is not cheap, and gives us a very professional look. Roxburgh can set up a shot, and the editing is crisp. I am sure this is the jaded film critic complaining again, but when you watch as many movies as I do, low-budget or not, you crave something different. Farley eventually gave me that with the superior "Local Legends."
Defy all genre!
BandSAboutMovies2 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Motern Media -- Matt Farley and Charles Roxburgh -- make movies that seem to be horror on the outside but are wonderfully strange movies on the inside, explorations of the darkness -- and light -- within small towns. Like here, in a small New Hampshire town, Farley Wilder (Farley) is the son of talk show host Rick Wilder (Kevin McGee), a near-universally beloved celebrity who spends his days ridiculing his son and forcing him to take constant tests.
Freaky Farley lost his mother at a young age and never found out why; that combined with how his father treats him -- this is a comedy, even though everything in this sentence seems horrific -- has left him stranded in adolescence, through puberty but still afraid of women, often just peeping around town yet not meaning anything wrong by it. He might have a love interest in Scarlet (Sharon Scalzo), who wants to be a reporter, if his father didn't hate her. And oh yeah, the town also has a witch (Steff Deschenes), bullies like Air Force Ricky (Kyle Kochan), a ninja (Roxburgh) and woods that are so dangerous that Farley's dad won't even talk about them. Surprise -- they're filled with troglodytes.
There's a dark omega to even town's light alpha, the kind of clandestine meetings that find a young killer getting conscripted into battling prehistoric cave people. Or maybe there are just bribes in your town, I don't know.
What I do know is that this movie is just right. It hits all my buttons -- low budget horror as the Halloween mask under which a funny yet dramatic movie with heart beats inside -- and made me laugh out loud at least twice. That's more than a win.
Freaky Farley lost his mother at a young age and never found out why; that combined with how his father treats him -- this is a comedy, even though everything in this sentence seems horrific -- has left him stranded in adolescence, through puberty but still afraid of women, often just peeping around town yet not meaning anything wrong by it. He might have a love interest in Scarlet (Sharon Scalzo), who wants to be a reporter, if his father didn't hate her. And oh yeah, the town also has a witch (Steff Deschenes), bullies like Air Force Ricky (Kyle Kochan), a ninja (Roxburgh) and woods that are so dangerous that Farley's dad won't even talk about them. Surprise -- they're filled with troglodytes.
There's a dark omega to even town's light alpha, the kind of clandestine meetings that find a young killer getting conscripted into battling prehistoric cave people. Or maybe there are just bribes in your town, I don't know.
What I do know is that this movie is just right. It hits all my buttons -- low budget horror as the Halloween mask under which a funny yet dramatic movie with heart beats inside -- and made me laugh out loud at least twice. That's more than a win.
Atrocious home movie
vandino123 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
C'mon guys, you weren't even trying. When you have non-actors you have to spend some time coaxing decent performances out of them, not just go with what are obvious first or second takes. And don't have your lead actor slowly raise his knife to the heavens, time and time again, like someone out of an old silent movie, or have a fight scene with monsters that looks like an asinine game of patty cake. And don't have your female cast members who are killed by these trogs appear to have nothing more than a few facial scratches. If you want to go through all the travail of making a movie then make it count when you do -- don't be sloppy and lazy. It's not enough to gather a bunch of friends and family members and wannabes together and shoot something on the fly. If you're not serious about it then all you've got is a home movie.
Therefore, this is across-the-board awful, even as a low-budget lark. A real actor in the lead role would have helped immensely, but unfortunately Matt Farley is the star and he's appallingly inept. The only worthwhile performances are from Sharon Scalzo and Steff Deschenes, although they both suffer from having to mouth some terrible dialogue, and get saddled with embarrassingly directed death scenes.
Therefore, this is across-the-board awful, even as a low-budget lark. A real actor in the lead role would have helped immensely, but unfortunately Matt Farley is the star and he's appallingly inept. The only worthwhile performances are from Sharon Scalzo and Steff Deschenes, although they both suffer from having to mouth some terrible dialogue, and get saddled with embarrassingly directed death scenes.
Love this film
plismdp14 September 2019
Freaky Farley is an underrated classic! Matt Farley is an auteur who is sadly over looked in the comedy/horror genre. Watch this movie and then tell your friends to watch it, then call Matt and tell him how much you love it. He'll probably answer. He also wrote his 20,000th song in mid 2019, so check out the Motern Media playlist on spotify.
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