Directing duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck returned to the Sundance stage to premiere their latest film Freaky Tales. A hip and nontraditional ode to 1980s Oakland, their story follows underdogs from four interconnected tales guided by a mysterious force. Imaginative by nature, Boden and Fleck’s oddly uplifting genre film is the kind of fun I didn’t know I needed. But with four stories battling to sell one central point, the overzealous chapters become tiresome. And the end result is one hyper-stylized experience that could use some extra breathing room.

Freaky Tales is a visual representation of chaos-infused adrenaline.

Chapter one is all about having Strength in Numbers. It sees a group of punk rock kids taking on aggressively violent Nazis who consistently ruin their fun at a nightclub. If I had to describe this chapter in one word, it would be chaotic. Oddly enough, I mean that as a compliment. The slow motion and blood splatter with an adrenaline-fused song banging in the background brings on an exciting experience that will satisfy any movie lover. Plus, who doesn’t like to see a good-old fashion Nazi beat down? This was a good start to the film.

…a hyper-stylized experience that could use some extra breathing room.

But then comes chapter two: Don’t Fight the Feeling. It’s a struggle to say the least. Because by this time, a frequent green essence passes through Oakland, often inhabiting a select group of people. However, we don’t have a sense for what it is, why it exists, or why it has a preference for certain individuals. Additionally, there’s little connectivity between the chapters (at least not right away) to get the audience invested up front. So, by the time the focus on Danger Zone (Normani and Dominique Thorne) comes around, it feels a bit unsatisfactory, despite a fun rap battle ahead.

The committed cast can alleviate the pains of stylistic switch-ups.

For some reason, directors Boden and Fleck decide to switch up their style to tell the individual stories. Even aspect ratios and action sequences vary among the chapters. Luckily in chapters three and four, Born to Mack and Legend of Sleepy Floyd, there’s better consistency and cohesion as the storytelling ramps up and find its footing. Pedro Pascal and Jay Ellis star in those chapters, committing to the ultra-gritty violence and even the emotional undertones. Something tells me these will be fan favorites, and deservedly so.

In totality, Freaky Tales is a wild mash-up of anthology horror, Kill Bill-styled kung fu, and a whole lot of blood in between. Creatively, the film contains a surplus of fun that almost requires you to shout in triumph. However, quality-wise, the film isn’t cohesive enough, resulting in a final product that isn’t as good as it thinks it is. Ultimately, the film would have been better as an anthology TV series. The story needs more breathing room and opportunities to flesh out its mystery.

Freaky Tales premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film has not been sold for distribution yet.