“Control Freak” is a fascinating story arriving on hulu today, following a woman who gradually loses her sanity and takes us along on her worst nightmares. This foray into psychological horror and delirium, with its good pacing and some impactful scenes, offers truly striking moments.
Plot
The story follows Valerie, a charismatic motivational speaker played by Kelly Marie Tran, whose life takes a sinister turn when she’s plagued by an uncontrollable itch on her head. This seemingly innocuous symptom triggers a series of disturbing events as Valerie becomes infected with a parasitic demon from her homeland.
The Cast
Kelly Marie Tran, known for her role in the Star Wars saga and for voicing Disney’s first Southeast Asian princess in “Raya,” delivers a powerful and nuanced performance. The cast is rounded out by Miles Robbins as Robbie, Valerie’s husband, Toan Le as Sang, Valerie’s father, and Kieu Chinh as Aunt Thuy.
About the Film
Well-crafted, occasionally shocking, and with impeccable visual execution. Kelly Marie Tran is the big star in this horror film where she’s the protagonist from start to finish. She rises to the acting challenge, and “Control Freak” is much better thanks to her.
“Control Freak” knows how to pace a horror narrative without limiting itself to impactful sequences, though there are plenty: the film maintains intrigue moment after moment without ever boring and always keeping the suspense and the big question alive: Is she really crazy or is there something supernatural behind it?
“Control Freak” is a film that aims to be strange, extravagant, and sometimes uncontrolled. It has to be this way to capture the imbalance of the protagonist and the story itself, but it manages to turn this imbalance into a virtue and, despite this, maintains ever-growing interest until the end.
Our Opinion
“Control Freak” has a couple of sequences that remain etched in the retina and knows how to leverage its strength to leave a taste of an impactful and successful film.
It doesn’t reinvent horror cinema nor will it be one of its classics, but it does leave us with a taste of well-executed horror cinema.
Where to Watch “Control Freak”
The Cast
