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Freaky Tales is an American action-comedy anthology film comprising four stories taking place in Oakland in 1987. The stories refer to real-life incidents that took place at the time. Written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the project provides an insight into how they remember growing up at the time and place. The film stars Pedro Pascal and Ben Mendelsohn, along with a cameo by Tom Hanks.
Disclaimer: The following article contains the author’s opinion and spoilers from Freaky Tales. Reader’s discretion is advised.
The incidents of the four parts of Freaky Tales take place on the same night in the film. Apart from the narrative, they are connected by the green lighting seen on the screen ahead of every climactic moment. It represents the general vibe and spirit of the East Bay in the late 1980s.
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The green lighting appears when punk kids fight back Nazis, a debt collector lets his wife’s killer walk free in a moment of introspection, and two women rappers find their voice against oppression, each marking a turning point in their lives. It acts as a harbinger of overturning existing power structures and the underdogs gaining the upper hand in the film. In its presence, characters finally manage to rise against oppression.
How do the events of Freaky Tales conclude?
The first incident of Freaky Tales is set in the punk rock scene in Berkeley, at a club named 924 Gilman. While the sign outside the door reads "No Racism, No Sexism, No Homophobia, No Drugs, No Alcohol, No Violence," the local group of neo-Nazi skinheads wilfully breaks the code to terrify teenagers. However, on the night of May 10, 1987, things come to a head as the punk kids fight back, making the skinheads flee for their lives.
At another joint in East Bay on the same night, an aspiring female rap duo, Entice and Barbie, decide to take on homegrown star rapper Too $hort in a battle to carve their names in a genre that has been unwelcoming of female performers. While they are portrayed by actors in the film, Entice and Barbie are a real-life female rapping duo who have a record with the real Too $hort.
Both stories are based on real-life incidents, as is the third and most prominent event of the night: the 1987 NBA Western Conference semifinal game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. This event is also connected to the third and fourth stories, which focus on star player Eric Agustus "Sleepy" Floyd (Jay Ellis), corrupt cop Guy (Ben Mendelsohn), and debt collector Clint (Pedro Pascal).
Clint decides to retire from his violent job, but on his final day, his pregnant wife is shot by a person whose father was killed by Clint. Deciding that the tragedy was his chance at redemption, Clint refuses to identify the person to the cops. He is informed that his daughter survived the death of her mother, but soon he is picked up by Guy’s goons, and tortured at the latter’s home.
Guy spends the game day robbing the empty home of Sleepy Floyd. However, the athlete’s mother and girlfriend return home early and are killed for being witnesses to the crime. When Floyd returns after scoring a career-high 51 points, the tragedy sets him on a path of exacting revenge. Floyd goes over to Guy’s place and embarks on a killing spree, seemingly saving the lives of Clint and his newborn daughter in the process.
Why does Freaky Tales deviate from real-life events?
While the stories in Freaky Tales are based on events that actually took place in Oakland in 1987, it is in no way a documentary. The narrative is a blend of imagination and real-life incidents. As per KQED, some scenes, including NBA star Sleepy Floyd turning into a skilled warrior assassin are creative liberties taken by the makers of the film.
The film tries to create a nostalgic vibe of the B-movies of the 1980s. Co-creator Ryan Fleck was born in Berkeley, California, and grew up in Oakland. The film is his attempt to present how he remembers the place from his childhood rather than exploring how it precisely was. He is helped in his effort by his partner in the project Anna Boden, who grew up in Newton, Massachusetts.
Freaky Tales is playing in theaters across the US from April 4, 2025.
