My quick rating – 4.8/10. Somewhere between a self-help seminar and a demon possession film lies Control Freak, a horror flick that really, really wants to say something deep… but mostly just leaves you scratching your head. Which, oddly enough, is exactly what Kelly Marie Tran’s character spends a good chunk of this movie doing. Metaphor? Meet a literal scalp parasite.
Tran stars as a motivational speaker whose TED Talk energy slowly crumbles under the weight of a mysterious, supernatural itch, an ailment that turns out to be the handiwork of a parasitic demon from her homeland. Now, you might think, “Wow, that sounds wild!” and you’d be right. But while the concept is creepy on paper, on screen it’s more of a “what am I watching?” experience.
Let’s start with the demon. Or rather, demons, because this creature can’t decide what it wants to be. Sometimes it looks like a practical effect—a gnarly little bug puppet from classic Cronenberg—and other times it’s a half-baked CGI gremlin who wandered in from a Syfy Channel production. Either way, it’s not exactly nightmare fuel. Unless you have a phobia of insects. In that case, yeah, you might want to schedule therapy after this.
Kelly Marie Tran puts in solid work, almost heroically so. She carries the film on her back like a motivational coach dragging a team of JV players through state finals. Everyone else? Background noise. The influencer subplot feels like a parody that forgot it was supposed to be funny. There’s a half-hearted pregnancy arc tossed in, some terrible parenting that’s never fully explored, and an overall tone that changes more often than a teen’s TikTok algorithm.
Writer-director Shal Ngo seems to have opened the script pantry and tossed in every half-used trope he could find—family trauma, identity struggles, the dark side of fame, demonic folklore, anxiety—but forgot to stir. The result is a stew of spooky ideas that never quite boil. It’s metaphor salad, served with a side of monster mayo. And while there is something interesting about the central theme, our need to control everything, even when our minds or bodies betray us, it never quite gets the treatment it deserves.
Still, there’s a weird charm here. If you’re into oddball horror that strays from the typical jump-scare path, this might be worth a late-night watch. Especially if you’re a fan of horror movies that lean into absurdity, sprinkle in cultural lore, and don’t mind leaving a few plot threads dangling like unplucked eyebrows.
Ultimately, Control Freak wants to make a statement. But with its jumbled storytelling, average supporting cast, and a demon that looks like it’s still rendering, the message kind of gets lost in translation.
And yes, if your head starts itching while watching, don’t worry. It’s probably just sympathy scratching.
This one is currently only available on Hulu and here is a JustWatch link for later on.