Michael Kennedy, who co-wrote the body-swapping horror-comedy Freaky with Christopher Landon, said they ensured its pronoun use stayed consistent for Millie and Butcher.
"Millie is always referred to as she. The Butcher he," Kennedy wrote on Twitter during the film's virtual watch-party event, #GetFreakyAtHome. "No matter what," he added. "It was important that it was consistent and it was definitely a conscious choice."
Freaky, which was partially inspired by the 1972 children's novel Freaky Friday and 1980's Friday the 13th, gave fans a gory and strangely wholesome tale about a shy, teenage cis-woman named Millie (Kathryn Newton) who swaps bodies with a cis-male, yellow-toothed serial killer (Vince Vaughn). Co-writer/director Christopher Landon previously described it as "the goriest Disney movie ever made."
Aside from its central plot -- Millie's friends plotting to save her from being stuck in a serial killer's body forever -- the film also openly examines Millie's feelings about being in a male body and the differing power dynamics she encounters. The openness with which Millie speaks about her gender identity -- and Vaughn's pitch-perfect acting of Millie -- creates a trans-inclusive atmosphere for the viewer. It's unquestioned by her friends -- and audience -- that Millie is always herself, even though her physical body has changed its form.
This isn't the first time Kennedy has spoken about Freaky's queer themes. In fact, he recently called the film a "Queer horror." Kennedy added, "As a scared, ashamed, closeted queer teen who found safety in horror, never even in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be part of a horror film, let alone co-create one that is unabashedly queer and celebrates identity."
Freaky is co-written by Michael Kennedy and Christopher Landon, with Landon also directing the horror-comedy. Starring Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Celeste O'Connor, Misha Osherovich, Katie Finneran, Uriah Shelton, Dana Drori and Alan Ruck, Freaky is currently in theaters nationwide and available on VOD.
Source: Twitter