Halloween Horrorfest: Horns

There are certain movies that as soon as you hear about them, you just can't help but really need to see it. That was what happened when I heard about Horns, the dark, outrageous and twisted new mystery-supernatural-horror film from director Alexandre Aja, based on the book by Joe Hill. 

The film centers on Ig Perrish (played by Daniel Radcliffe), a young man distraught over the murder of his girlfriend, Merrin Williams (played by Juno Temple). Even worse, everyone thinks he did it no matter how much he protests he did not. One morning, he awakes to find a pair of horns growing from his forehead. In addition, he discovers he has developed new powers. Everyone in his presence are compelled to disclose their deepest, darkest secrets to him. Initially horrified at this development, he quickly realizes these new found abilities would come in handy in trying to find Merrin's real killer. In the process though, he finds out all sorts of sordid secrets, like the fact that his mother (played by Kathleen Quinlan) can't stand him, that his father (played by James Remar) conspired to destroy evidence in an effort to save his son, or that a local waitress (played by Heather Graham) gave false testimony to the police that she saw Ig and Merrin leave together because she liked the attention.

He also finds he can compel people's behavior, which is captured perfectly in the scene where he makes the mob of reporters beat up one another with the promise of an exclusive interview to whoever wins. This leads to a free for all brawl that is easily one of the most twisted and funniest things in the movie. He also compels the two cops who have been following him, one who was a childhood friend, give in to their deep-seeded love for one another in a scene that's actually uncharacteristically sweet for this film.

The film also tells the story of Ig and Merrin's romance in a series of flashbacks, starting from when they first met as kids, eyeing each other from across the aisle in church. They also show their last night together, a heartbreaking scene when Merrin breaks up with Ig on the night he was planning to propose. How he reacts to this explains, quite irrationally, why so many people think he's her killer. Of course, we as the viewer know he's not as Ig slowly manages to track down the killer, with new revelations coming from every person he encounters. 

I've been a fan of director Alexandre Aja's work, aside from maybe High Tension which was a film that completely sabotaged itself in it's nonsensical ending. But he's learned from that misstep and proven himself as an uncompromising horror director, but also one that's willing to embrace being over the top when the material deserves it (his work on Piranha 3D is a perfect example of this). Yet, Horns is himself at his most restrained. He knows the focus is on the characters and lets the film's big moments grow from them. 

Daniel Radcliffe gives a fantastic performance as Ig, a tormented and determined young man. I enjoyed his performance as the film went on and as Ig more and more embraced the darker impulses his powers were giving him. It's a wonderful performance that once again proves he's more than just Harry Potter. 

Overall, Horns, is a dark, twisted and fun film that's perfect for your Halloween viewing pleasure. It's currently available for rent on Amazon Instant and iTunes and will be in theaters starting October 31st. It's well worth checking out.