Movie Crush Monday: Little C and Horns

Guys, it's bee a weird day and I'm in a weird mood. So let's talk about a weird movie.

Once upon a time, a few months ago, my roommates all abandoned me for the weekend so they could go spend the night in a wigwam. This is not a joke. So while I languished in my normal Los Angeles house by myself I decided to go check out a movie and almost by accident stumbled into the theater to watch Horns.

The official synopsis for this film was "In the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to find strange horns sprouting from his temples." I'm going to go ahead and warn you that this movie is much darker and more visceral than anything I've seen in a long time. Director Alexandre Aja knows just how to make an audience squirm, but unlike his remake of the Hills Have Eyes, this movie manages to show restraint and be creepy and disturbing without becoming grotesque. 

The book that the film is based on was written by Joe Hill. For those who don't recognize the name, this is him at a baseball game with his dad...

That's right. His father has given everyone nightmares at some point.

So with all this vast potential, you wouldn't think anyone would want to cast an iconic former child star who is still seared into the national consciousness as a heroic figure. I know Daniel Radcliffe would not have been my first choice to play the damaged and paranoid Ig. But friends, I would have been wrong. With all the people around Ig acting crazy, it would have been relatively easy for the main character of the film to have the movie taken away from him. But Daniel was having none of that. He is bitter and disillusioned in equal measure and gives the film a perfect edge to cut through the story. 

I want to talk for a minute about the structure of the film. So much of the story is told in flashbacks, that it is a great credit to the editing team that it never feels like you're not sure where you are. And the flashbacks always enhance the story, which is rare. So often something I'm watching starts a "3 years earlier..." scene and I cringe. They've become so commonplace in film and television that they are almost always used incorrectly. But in Horns they are so well controlled that I was walking out of the theater before I realized how much of the film was set in the past. 

So if you're in the mood for a thriller (And you're not too squeamish about gore) check this one out. 

Happy watching,

Little C