WhilePedro Pascalhas starred in a variety of films this year, none of them match the eccentricity and uniqueness ofFreaky Tales. The movie, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and didn’t receive a wide release date until April 2025, thanks to distributor Lionsgate. However, the theatrical window for the film was small, and it had little to no impact on the box office. Thankfully, this new age of streaming has its upsides, as movies likeFreaky Talescan now thrive with a new audience at home.
At the time of this writing,Freaky Talesis currently climbing the charts onHBO Max, putting it alongside the likes ofRidley Scott’sAlien: Covenantand Ryan Coogler’sSinners, which remains in the Top 10 despite being available on the streaming service since the beginning of July.Freaky Talesis an engaging action anthology movie set in Oakland, California, in 1987, with various separate storylines eventually coming together in an explosive conclusion, reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino’sPulp Fiction. Besides Pascal, the movie also stars Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud, and Tom Hanks.
Boden and Fleck haven’t directed a feature film sinceCaptain Marvelin 2019, a task that was particularly tall, given the need to follow up onAvengers: Infinity Warand precedeAvengers: Endgamewith the story of Carol Danvers. The movie was a box office success, though it wouldn’t be until 2024 that the duo would return with a smaller-scale film in the form ofFreaky Tales.
‘Freaky Tales’ Is a Streaming Hit, Further Cementing Pedro Pascal’s Popularity
With a killer soundtrack, phenomenal performances from its cast, and a real sense of style thanks to Boden and Fleck’s direction,Freaky Taleswould receive mostly positive reviews. The movie has a 74% critic score and an 89% audience score, which explains its popularity on streaming platforms. In a year when Pascal starred in such widely-seen films asMaterialists, Eddington, andthis year’s MCU ouitngThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, this smaller-scale project becoming recognized on streaming only feels natural, especially since the popularity of Pascal as an actor has only skyrocketed in recent months.
There is also the matter of the small theatrical window, meaning that even people who were aware of the film during its theatrical run may not have had a chance to watch it. Now thatFreaky Talesis as widely available as it can be, the surge of popularity on HBO Max makes complete sense. Moreover, the movie was recently released on physical media, with a Blu-ray edition available on August 12. There is even alimited-edition VHS case versionof the movie that is also available for order from Lionsgate. While it may have taken almost two years to getFreaky Talesin front of a wider audience, the wait has seemingly been worth it.
Freaky Tales
