The official logline for Strange Darling, a mysterious new horror-thriller from Miramax and Spooky Pictures, is about as much as audiences ought to know ahead of sitting down to watch the film: Nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree.
Written and directed by JT Mollner (Outlaws and Angels), Strange Darling is a spectacular cat-and-mouse chase executed with militaristic precision. The script is sharp and taut; each one of its modest 97 minutes is packed with tension and twists that subvert the very expectations it so scrupulously establishes. Mollner’s non-linear plot structure imaginatively splits the story into six pulse-pounding sequences, all carefully rearranged to keep viewers on their toes from the opening frame to the closing credits.
There is an uncomfortable interplay between eroticism and violence in this film that is sure to provoke an assortment of reactions from viewers. For better or worse, Strange Darling seems intentionally averse to spoon-feeding a particular message to the audience. However, it may leave some who watch with more questions about Mollner’s perspective on gender politics than about this expert deconstruction of the psychological thriller. Whether or not both of these takeaways were deliberate outcomes is unclear.
Strange Darling marks the debut of celebrated actor Giovanni Ribisi (Sneaky Pete, Avatar) as a Director of Photography. Ribisi’s camera work, coupled with the sumptuous production design of Priscilla Elliott (Richard Jewell, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2), provides nothing short of a visual feast. Rural Oregon, for example, has never looked quite as biodiverse as it does as the backdrop for this story. Within the first minute of the movie’s runtime, a title card announces that it was shot entirely on 35mm film, a perfect choice that amplifies the vivid textures present in each and every frame.
In a cinematic world dominated by digital cinematography, the decision to shoot Strange Darling on 35mm doesn’t come across as a gimmick for nostalgia points. It is a tip of the hat to the Hitchcockian and turn-of-the-century thrillers that precede it and that it very cleverly diverges from. The clash between its dated visuals and contemporary narrative approach reinforce the film’s core conceit very effectively.
Craig DeLeon’s brooding score and Z Berg’s original soundtrack (complete with a haunting acoustic cover of Nazareth’s Love Hurts, available to stream here on YouTube) lay the foundation for Strange Darling’s unsettling yet intimately charged atmosphere. The sound design as a whole is some of the best put to film in recent memory.
The heart and soul of Strange Darling is without question the career-best performances delivered by its two leads, Willa Fitzgerald (The Fall of The House of Usher, Scream: The TV Series) and Kyle Gallner (Smile, Jennifer’s Body). Both Gallner and Fitzgerald cement themselves as horror royalty with their respective portrayals of The Lady and The Demon, which call on them to juggle the whiplashing contradictions of human nature convincingly. The result of their gripping commitment is a pair of remarkable star turns that will not soon be forgotten. Barbara Hershey (Insidious, Black Swan) and Ed Begley Jr. (Better Call Saul, St. Elsewhere) also make delightful cameos as a pair of eccentric doomsday preppers.
Overall, Strange Darling serves up a provocative yet worthwhile reimagination of the horror-thriller genre. If it manages to succeed in finding its audience in the way NEON’s Immaculate and Longlegs have, it could very well surpass them in longevity and impact.
Rating: 4.5/5.
Strange Darling is now playing in theaters nationwide.
Follow @AHSZone and @NexusPointNews on X/Twitter to stay updated with all the latest news about the horror genre, including Ryan Murphy Productions and more.
Comments