Writer/Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck interconnect four energetic, frequently bloody stories in infectious genre-hopping anthology Freaky Tales, and the official trailer takes us back to the VHS era to tease the all-star ensemble and violence ahead.

Lionsgate releases Freaky Tales in theaters on April 4, 2025.

In the anthology, “Set in 1987 Oakland, Freaky Tales is a multi-track mixtape of colorful characters — an NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teen punks, neo-Nazis, and a debt collector — on a collision course in a fever dream of showdowns and battles.”

Check out the trailer and new poster below, which introduces “The Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal as an unconventional warrior ready for violence. The film also marks one of the final on screen appearances for the late actor Angus Cloud (Abigail, Your Lucky Day).

Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud, and Tom Hanks star in Freaky Tales, executive produced by hip-hop pioneer Too $hort.

The energetic anthology made its debut last year at the Sundance Film Festival. I wrote in my review, “While Boden and Fleck create a specific love letter to the Bay Area, its adoration of music and movies is accessible on a larger scale. The way the filmmakers effortlessly shift through styles to capture each segment’s story, even playing with form and technique, makes for one of the more entertaining movie surprises in recent memory. ” 

Freaky Tales dabbles in a variety of genres, but expect horror to play a key role as well. Filmmakers Boden and Fleck wring a few comedic beats from The Lost Boys as connective tissue, and Scanners becomes one of the most surprising sources of gory inspiration.

Get ready to venture back in time to visit one pulpy depiction of the Oakland music scene with zany ’80s anthology Freaky Tales this April.