Freaky Tales: what is the film about, who stars alongside Pedro Pascal and when is it on at Sundance 2024?

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival kicked off on Thursday evening, with a gala ceremony awarding Christopher Nolan the inaugural Trailblazer award and a few movies opening this year’s proceedings. One of which already looks to embark on the festival trail, and an immediate critical darling, is “Freaky Tales,” the new film by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, co-writers of MCU blockbuster “Captain Marvel.”

Praise for the film, starring Pedro Pascal, was nearly immediate, with Sundance Film Festival themselves, extolling the feature being “a mind-blowing mixtape and joyful ode to the ’80s, Freaky Tales imaginatively fuses styles and cinematic influences with giddy abandon, yielding a pastiche of pulp, pop, comic books, anthology horror, Old Testament wrath, and kung fu by way of a bloody crescendo that leaves no appendage unsevered”

That’s been echoed by some critics, with the New York Post writing “Even though you definitely don’t leave contemplating the narrative, the detailed and authentic ‘80s aesthetic conjures a spell.” However, it’s starting life on the festival circuit as a bit of a divisive feature, with The Guardian writing “For a film so clearly designed to be fun above all else, it ends up being a bizarre slog. I’m glad they enjoyed themselves so much, shame we couldn’t join in.”

What is “Freaky Tales” about?

“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. Basically another day in the Bay.”

Who stars in “Freaky Tales” alongside Pedro Pascal?

The Sundance Film Festival provided a principal cast list for “Freaky Tales,” with the late Angus Cloud and Ben Mendelsohn as two sizeable names among the cast.

• Pedro Pascal
• Jay Ellis
• Normani Kordei Hamilton
• Dominique Thorne
• Ben Mendelsohn
• Ji-Young Yoo
• Jack Champion
• Angus Cloud
• Kier Gilchrist

When is “Freaky Tales” screening at the Sundance Film Festival 2024?

There are still several screenings as of writing as part of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Ticketing information can be found by visiting the Sundance Festival website. All times are in Mountain Time (MST).

• January 20 - Megaplex Theatres at The Gateway 1/2/3 (2:30pm)
• January 20 - The Ray Theatre (7:00pm)
• January 23 - The Ray Theatre (7:00pm)
• January 25 - Redstone Cinemas 2 (3:00pm - Open Caption)
• January 28 - Library Center Theatre (8:00pm)

Is there a theatrical release date for “Freaky Tales” in the United Kingdom?

No details as the film makes its festival premiere, however, Lionsgate acquired distribution rights to the film after they acquired Entertainment One, who financed it, although other distributors could still acquire it.