Horns
Directed by: Alexandre Aja
Written by: Keith Bunin - Based on the novel 'Horns' by Joe Hill
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Juno Temple, Kelli Garner, James Remar, Kathleen Quinlan, Heather Graham, David Morse, Michael Adamthwaite, Nels Leonardson, Don Thompson, Jay Brazeau, Alex Zahara, Kendra Anderson, Christine Willes
Drama/Fantasy/Horror/Thriller - 120 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 27 Oct 2014
Written by: Keith Bunin - Based on the novel 'Horns' by Joe Hill
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Juno Temple, Kelli Garner, James Remar, Kathleen Quinlan, Heather Graham, David Morse, Michael Adamthwaite, Nels Leonardson, Don Thompson, Jay Brazeau, Alex Zahara, Kendra Anderson, Christine Willes
Drama/Fantasy/Horror/Thriller - 120 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 27 Oct 2014
Horns should arrive with the subtitle, Twin Peaks: The Next Generation. They are set in the same state, Washington, amidst the lumber industry. There is a deceased young, pretty white girl. We get the backstory through flashbacks. Suspicion rests on the boyfriend and the whodunit mystery cannot be solved without the supernatural and a cast of supporting weirdos. Based on the novel by Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son, Horns is an odd duck. The accused attempts to find his girlfriend’s real killer and his method is the most intriguing and most underused element in the film.
It looks pretty bad for Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe, 2014's What If). The body of his girlfriend, Merrin (Juno Temple, 2014's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), was found bludgeoned to death at their secret hideaway, he had a motive since she broke up with him the night before, and he somewhat confessed through a word misunderstanding. As the subject of the 24/7 media cycle, Ig chases his demons with liquor, proclaims his innocence though very few folks believe him, and curses God for letting such an awful event happen to such an innocent girl. Whether or not his blaming the Almighty is the cause for his transformation is never addressed, but it is as good a guess as any.
It looks pretty bad for Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe, 2014's What If). The body of his girlfriend, Merrin (Juno Temple, 2014's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), was found bludgeoned to death at their secret hideaway, he had a motive since she broke up with him the night before, and he somewhat confessed through a word misunderstanding. As the subject of the 24/7 media cycle, Ig chases his demons with liquor, proclaims his innocence though very few folks believe him, and curses God for letting such an awful event happen to such an innocent girl. Whether or not his blaming the Almighty is the cause for his transformation is never addressed, but it is as good a guess as any.
After a particularly brutal drunken night of anger and blasphemy, Ig wakes up with horns sprouting out of his forehead. Other people can see them but they don’t pay them too much attention, except for the town priest. Folks are more likely to lean in and tell Ig exactly what they are thinking at that moment. An exasperated mother of a screaming child asked Ig matter-of-factly if she can walk away from her child and go commit some more adultery with the golf pro. The doctor Ig asks about his condition says he would like to crush up some OxyContin instead. The horns, be they a blessing or a curse, empower Ig to influence people and make them tell the truth. These abilities should come in handy as he begins his quest to find Merrin’s killer.
So who did it? Ig’s older brother, Terry (Joe Anderson, 2012's The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2), was around that night, Merrin’s father (David Morse, 2013's World War Z) could have done it, perhaps Ig’s female friend, Glenna (Kelli Garner) who always had deeper feelings for Ig did the deed. The ultimate revelation is very easy to guess early on and should not surprise anyone. However, the problem with Horns is not with the easy answer of who did it, it is why director Alexandre Aja does not play around with Ig’s power more than the limited amount he does.
Ig makes the local news leeches beat each other up in the parking lot and humiliates the alcoholics in the seedy bar. That is about the extent of what could have been one of the more original superpowers gifted to an individual in a long time. Why watch Avengers battle outer space bad guys when we could watch a normal guy use his horns to cause mayhem and exact vengeance upon his tormenters in Anytown, America? I credit Aja with bringing a very creative and original character to the screen, certainly looking like nobody we have ever seen before, but I walked out of the theater knowing the horns were not used to the best of their ability. Oh, what could have been.
Aja chose to faithfully follow the novel so perhaps this early decision is the reason Horns feels like the second season of Twin Peaks, the season that didn’t really go anywhere. Aja even brought onboard cinematographer Frederick Elmes who shot David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986); the same Lynch who created Twin Peaks. Other than the protruding antlers on Ig’s head, the film’s use of music also stands out. Set around ‘Seattle’ even though like the vast majority of films set in Washington, it was actually filmed in Vancouver, Canada, Aja creates a grunge feeling. Young Ig wears a Nirvana shirt and we listen to David Bowie, The Pixies, and Marilyn Manson’s version of Personal Jesus which accompanies one of the film’s better scenes.
Daniel Radcliffe gives the best performance of his career pinballing from a guy about to propose to the girl of his dreams to a drunken, empty shell screaming expletives at his steering wheel. His character is interesting and the audience roots for him and his horns to right wrongs. Unfortunately, the revelations which are supposed to shock us, fail to, and the ending, while maintaining its unique form, may be even a bit too ridiculous even for a modern, gothic fable. Horns will make a fine Halloween date movie for those who steer clear of gore and jump scares but other than that, there is not too much here.
Daniel Radcliffe gives the best performance of his career pinballing from a guy about to propose to the girl of his dreams to a drunken, empty shell screaming expletives at his steering wheel. His character is interesting and the audience roots for him and his horns to right wrongs. Unfortunately, the revelations which are supposed to shock us, fail to, and the ending, while maintaining its unique form, may be even a bit too ridiculous even for a modern, gothic fable. Horns will make a fine Halloween date movie for those who steer clear of gore and jump scares but other than that, there is not too much here.
Comment Box is loading comments...
