An ambitious motivational speaker is tormented by an unrelenting itch in the back of her head in Hulu’s new horror film, Control Freak, but that itch seems destined to never be satisfied. And it’s a 50/50 split whether horror fans will be, either, in this Kelly Marie Tran-led outing written and directed by Shal Ngo (based on his Hulu short film Control). Tran, known for her work in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Raya and the Last Dragon, is perfectly cast, however. Tran creates a believable protagonist as a fast-rising motivational speaker named Valerie, who spirals down a psychological rabbit hole that leads to bloody terror.
The film is part of a collaboration between Hulu and WorthenBrooks, which has doled out a slew of successful horror movies, including The Mill, Appendage, and Carved. Here, Val battles a mysterious parasitic demon from her homeland — which she believes is inside her, hence that itch — and that creative hook certainly raises our curiosity, but the film doesn’t quite reach its full potential, becoming more of a tease than a pay-off.
Control Freak also stars Miles Robbins as Val’s partner (in both bed and business) Robbie, along with Toan Le and Kieu Chinh. You may appreciate the ways in which the filmmaker arrives at the movie’s climax, even though that climax doesn’t quite land as dramatically as you may have hoped for. Along the way, expect endless metaphors.
Scratch if You Dare
Control Freak
- Release Date
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March 13, 2025
- Director
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Shal Ngo
- Writers
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Shal Ngo
- Producers
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David Brooks, Jenna Cavelle
- Kelly Marie Tran is phenomenal.
- The final act is pretty wild and should please most horror fans.
- The film is somewhat of a slog and takes a while to get real.
- While wise and honest, the ultimate conclusion and message doesn’t feel earned.
Here, Valerie has it all. The self-help diva is about to embark on an epic tour, fittingly dubbed the “Unstoppable” tour. Yet something is halting her progress, and the more Val scratches her scalp, the more unnerving this horror caper becomes. And repetitive. Val’s new mystery is enough to trigger concern, but she’s got other things going on, too. Mysterious totem animals and crawling ants occupy her dreams, which suggests some parental or relationship issue that went unresolved. About those…
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Poor Val. Even her husband is pressuring her. He wants to start a family and won’t let up. The anniversary of Val’s mother’s death is also on her mind, which makes that itch seem all the more stress-related. It’s not, of course. Once we move through the film’s initial build-up, and the batsh*t crazy stuff starts happening, the film shows some real promise, and Tran is stellar, but she deserves better than what this movie allows her to do.
Blood, Gore, and Patience
Some good news. Writer/director Shai Ngo manages to make us intrigued about Val’s mystery. There’s some fun to be had in watching Tran attempt to solve her dilemma, giving the film some thrust. We assume, too, that Val’s to be trusted, but that becomes questionable as things move along. It’s executed to winning ends and keeps us invested in going along for the ride. If only the final journey felt better.
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There isn’t much actual, bloody horror until the final 20 minutes or so, other than the foreboding sense of dread throughout the film. Instead, everything seems to be saved for the end of Control Freak, and the special effects are standard fare, though we do get a particularly grisly scene with a saw. It’s not as if the production went out of its way to showcase anything altogether groundbreaking, but not all horror films need to be that unique. What they do need to be is passionate about the ways in which they tell their stories. And Control Freak is. With Tran at the helm and the wild finale, the film finds a place next to cinematic cousins like The Substance.
But The Substance moved along briskly while Control Freak tends to lag. It becomes increasingly maddening to wonder if Val will ever confront some of the psychological issues the film raises. While wise and honest, the conclusion the film comes to doesn’t feel authentically earned by Valerie. Bottom line: it will satisfy a kind of horror itch as an allegorical little monster, but it may leave you scratching your head when all is said and done. Control Freak hits Hulu March 13. Watch it through the link below:
Watch Control Freak
