Director Steve Kostanski has never been one to shy away from telling audiences exactly what his inspiration is as a filmmaker. Wearing his influences, no matter how obscure they may be, on his proverbial sleeve. Frankie Freako is no different, as the film’s aesthetic looks like something directly out of the back corner that nobody rents from back in the mid-90s. Frankie Freako looks and feels like a straight-to-video oddity from that bygone era, right down to the design of the Freako Gang itself.

Prototypical “square” Conor (Conor Sweeney) is a gullible schlub whose idea of intimacy with his long-suffering wife Kristina (Kristy Wordsworth) is an intense hand-holding session. Meanwhile, his boss Mr Beuchler (Adam Brooks) schemes to use Conor as the patsy he is. Feeling inspired to make a change, Conor dials a 1-800 number he sees on television late at night. Next thing Conor knows, Frankie Freako (voiced by Matthew Kennedy) arrives with his party compatriots Dottie Dunko (voiced by Meredith Sweeny) and Boink Bardo (voiced by Adam Books doing double duty). They trash his house in an epic party that he can’t even remember attending. But when forces from planet Freako track Frankie and the gang to Conor’s home, Conor has teamed up with the Freako’s to escape the clutches of President Munch (Rich Evans).

This is a film that feels 3 decades too late in many ways. Frankie Freako is a title that wouldn’t feel out of place in the early Full Moon features catalogue and its influences are undeniable. The best way to describe this is probably to say that if you took pieces of the films Munchie, Garbage Pails Kids: The Movie, Puppet Master, the party scene from Weird Science, Breakin’, Beetlejuice, Blue Velvet, and the long-forgotten Kirstie Alley/John Larroquette vehicle Madhouse and threw them in the proverbial blender. I’m sure it’s not a mistake that the villain is named Munch after Munchie. It’s insanely absurd and undoubtedly not the smartest film you’re likely to ever see, but it’s also insanely endearing and quite funny at times. However, seeing the film with a rowdy crowd would certainly help the viewing experience.

Combining again with 3 of his 4 Astron-6 brothers, Konstanki’s films certainly have carved out a style of their own. If you’ve seen the Bio-Cop short, Manborg or PG: Psycho Goreman you should have a solid handle on what to expect out of Frankie Freako, though those going in blind could be very hit or miss with their reactions. Frankie Feako is far from a “safe” studio film. This is a film made for a specific audience and is now daring that audience to find it in theatres. As usual with a Konstanski film, the prosthetics/creature work is top-notch, that is how he first made his mark in the film world, to begin with. The Freako gang puppets are fun, but the Munch half human/half puppet monstrosity is gloriously grotesque.

Frankie Freako is a dumb and goofy ass film in all the right ways. The film will delight audiences that know Kostanki’s style to no end, and challenge newcomers to turn off their brains and simply just have fun. One thing is for sure, Konstanki will keep pumping out these delightful low-budget oddities, and we, his fans will be sitting here waiting for more.