Behind the Scenes: FREAKY - Interview with Director Christopher Landon

<p>I have been extremely lucky in my life as an entertainment personality-type person to have already had the chance to podcast with Chris Landon twice before (<a href= "https://audioboom.com/posts/7443789-9-it-me-w-chris-landon">most recently about the movie <em>Carrie</em></a>).</p> <p>Not only is Chris the writer-director of <a href= "https://www.alternateending.com/2017/10/happy-death-day-2017.html"> <em>Happy Death Day</em></a>, <a href= "https://www.alternateending.com/2019/02/happy-death-day-2u-2019.html"> <em>Happy Death Day 2U</em></a>, <a href= "https://www.alternateending.com/2014/01/marking-time.html"><em>Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones</em></a>, and his new upcoming feature Freaky, co-written with Michael Kennedy, but he’s also one of the most genuinely nice guys working in the industry today.</p> <p>He did nothing to dim that impression when we sat down for this interview where we chat about <em>Freaky</em>, how a pitch rehearsal turned into a full-on partnership, the importance of giving a queer character time to shine, how to turn your home into the perfect <em>Freaky</em> viewing environment, and (definitely most importantly) what we’re watching during quarantine.</p> <p>One thing that we hit on in our discussion is the queer element of <em>Freaky</em>, which is certainly foregrounded: one of the lead characters is a queer teen. But that isn't the only way <em>Freaky</em>, which was written by two gay men, is a queer film. At the center of Freaky is the idea of the body swap, a concept that most would look on as fodder for comedy and wacky impressions. And yes, of course it provides that. But for queer audiences in particular, this can resonate more deeply. There's nobody in the world who hasn't wished their body looked different at some point in their life. But the very notion of being queer means rebelling against the strict parameters that society has set for the type of body you live in, from how you look and who you love, all the way on down to little things like what movies you'll like