Steven Kostanski, the creative mind behind \u200dindie hits \u2064like The Void<\/em> (2016) and Psycho Goreman<\/em> (2020), has always\u200b had a unique vision for horror. Despite the industry’s focus on trends like zombies, Kostanski has long been fascinated by \u2063the idea of mischievous little creatures \u2064causing chaos. “For years, I\u2019ve been\u200c trying to push my fellow\u2062 filmmaker friends into making some kind\u2062 of little\u200d creature movie,” he shares. “It would be great to\u2062 have little puppets running around torturing people. Who doesn\u2019t \u200bwant to watch that?”<\/p>\n Ignoring the naysayers, Kostanski embarked on creating a film inspired by\u200c genre classics such as \u200b Gremlins 2: The New Batch<\/em> and Ghoulies<\/em>. The result is Frankie Freako<\/em>, set to hit theaters on October \u20624th, distributed by Shout! Studios. The film follows Conor (Conor \u2064Sweeney), an uptight businessman struggling\u200d to satisfy \u200chis \u2064wife (Kristy Wordsworth) and boss (Adam Brooks). In a bid to loosen up, Conor dials a 900 number for \u200dFrankie Freako (voiced by \u200bMatthew Kennedy), a puppet who arrives with his friends to throw a wild \u200bparty. The story evolves into a mix of party\u2064 antics, a mission to \u2062defeat an evil ruler on Freako’s home planet, and heartfelt moments where\u2063 characters learn valuable lessons.<\/p>\n The film’s aesthetic is a deliberate\u2064 homage to the ’80s, complete with period-appropriate tone, clothing, and decor. Kostanski and his team drew inspiration from an\u200b unexpected \u200csource to achieve the right visual feel. “DP\u2063 Pierce Derks and I \u200bpulled inspiration, weirdly enough, from De Palma movies,” Kostanski reveals.\u2064 “I\u2019m a big \u2064fan of Body Double<\/em>, so we approached it with the mindset of, ‘What \u200bif a\u2062 De Palma movie got derailed by a bunch of rambunctious critters?’ This influence is evident not only in\u200c the lenses and filters used to create a gauzy look but\u2062 also in the\u2062 production design, wardrobe, and set design.”<\/p>\n Creating the Freakos was a significant challenge, given the film’s \u200cmodest CA$50,000 build budget and an eight-week timeline. Kostanski was well aware of the constraints. “This was\u2063 a movie I went into knowing, ‘This is going to be\u2064 a budget thing. Let\u2019s be resourceful and figure it out,'” he explains. “We definitely did. I\u2019ve got to give a lot of credit to my team, who \u2063pulled out all the stops\u200b to make this thing\u2062 awesome. It was a\u2064 lot of fun \u2014 stressful, but a lot of fun.”<\/p>\n Despite the hurdles, Kostanski \u200bis\u200c enthusiastic about the possibility of expanding the\u200d Frankie Freako<\/em> universe. However, he envisions a more relaxed production process for any future installments.\u200c “Now that we\u2019ve worked out \u200dthe kinks of the puppet stuff, I think we\u2019d have an easier \u2063time if we \u2062did it again,” he says. “I\u200d know Conor and Adam are into coming back to do another \u200done, but they want it to be as low effort for\u200d them as\u200c possible. It might just be a ‘Freakos go to Hawaii’ situation,\u2062 where we shoot\u2064 for a week and then it\u2019s three weeks of sitting on a beach.\u200c Maybe it\u2019s\u200d not the sequel everyone wants, but it\u2019s the sequel \u200dthat our tired, old bodies deserve.”<\/p>\nThe birth of\u2062 ‘Frankie Freako’<\/h2>\n
A nostalgic nod to the\u2062 ’80s<\/h2>\n
Crafting the perfect puppets<\/h2>\n
Looking ahead: potential sequels<\/h2>\n
Watch the trailer<\/h2>\n