“Many things are not as they seem: The worst things in life never are.” - Jim Butcher
It’s sad to imagine Quentin Tarantino actually hanging it up after his tenth movie is made. It was absolutely thrilling when he branched off into Westerns putting his own spin on such an established genre. It makes you wonder what he could do with other genres of film that he’s never touched. For instance, can you imagine a Tarantino directed horror movie? What a head trip that would be. While we’ll likely never know, if ever there was a movie that could make the argument about what a horror movie directed by him might look like, I think Strange Darling has a case.
It’s a real rarity these days to experience something so viscerally different and benefit from so immensely by knowing as little about it as possible. I knew of a basic premise, some of the actors starring in it and that’s basically it. Strange Darling operates best on the assumption that the audience is entering the story with preconceived notions and a rudimentary understanding of basic horror tropes. It’s hoping that you think you already know what’s coming and will revel in the shock of your pure disbelief when all is finally revealed. It certainly left an impression on me and as a movie junkie, that doesn’t happen often.
Just last year a movie called The Passenger was released starring the very same Kyle Gallner that rampages in Strange Darling. His unrelenting terror in The Passenger is palpable, even intimidating. He embodies the very definition of an unhinged individual. He oozes an imminent kind of tragic lone shooter quality that is both nerve shredding and simultaneously pitiful. In Strange Darling, Gallner returns to form with a more anger driven quest to destroy the one that got away. Much like his character in The Passenger, as The Demon he permeates chaos and an almost commendable kind of perseverance. Although I imagine when his character was a child and was taught to never give up, I don’t think they were including hunting humans for nefarious reasons in their pep talks.
As nuanced and wonderfully complicated as he is in this movie, the true shining star is Willa Fitzgerald simply named, The Lady. Her flipping of identity and character traits is fascinating to watch and undeniably terrifying to witness in real time. She is brilliantly devious as the perceived final girl, which in horror-talk means she is the last one standing to fight any and all incoming threats. The chemistry between Fitzgerald and Gallner is difficult which plays perfectly into their characters’ contemptuous one night stand. Their seemingly innocent first encounter is riddled with warnings and it’s a spectacle all its own to watch them both ignore and dodge the obvious simply to make their way to the local hotel for a romp in the sheets.
The most Tarantino-like element to Strange Darling is the manipulation of time in order to tell a more compelling perspective of a story that might otherwise be just another unremarkable thriller. I think it could work with a normal timeline but it would reveal itself far too early on and leave nothing for the climax which is, in the form it’s told, absolutely mind-blowing. Another trait of our favorite filmmaker is the extremity of the violence which is alarmingly brutal and heavily featured throughout this hate-fueled nightmare. It brings an intensity that is jarring to experience and when combined with the true understanding of what’s actually happening, it all comes full circle leaving anyone in utter disbelief.
An interesting bit of trivia for the cinephiles among us, this is the debut of famed actor Giovanni Ribisi as a cinematographer. He creates an expertly crafted kind of dread with his steady long takes and promise of impending doom to come. He utilizes brilliant reds and blues to demonstrate when tension is at its least and when it has reached a fever pitch and the characters should really start to worry. He couldn’t have picked a more fascinating story to debut his talents as a director of photography and certainly his influence on the overall grainy, pulpy imagery of the film leaves an impression. I’m definitely interested to see what he does next behind the lens.
In a single encounter, two souls collide in terrifying fashion when a one night stand goes irrevocably wrong leading to a serial killer’s savage murder spree. Nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted.
It’s really difficult to talk about this movie in any meaningful way without divulging too many juicy details. It’s a violent, twisted horror thriller that acts unabashed about what its intentions are. The characters are immoral, hopeless and unforgiving. The story is as wild as any you’ve heard before and the structure and pacing utilized to tell such a bizarre, highly disturbing story is nothing short of compelling insanity. If violent vengeance horror in the style of Tarantino sounds in any way enticing to you, Strange Darling is guaranteed to entertain, guaranteed to shock and I promise it will leave you absolutely reeling long after it’s concluded. In the age of “been there, done that”, this is an unexpected breath of pure nitrous oxide.
P.S. DO NOT WATCH ANY FOOTAGE, INCLUDING TRAILERS, FOR THIS MOVIE. GO IN AS BLIND AS A BAT. THANK ME LATER.
Rated R For: strong/bloody violent content, sexual material, drug use and language
Runtime: 96 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Starring: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, Ed Begley Jr.
Directed By: JT Mollner
Out of 10
Story: 9/ Acting: 10/ Directing: 9.5/ Visuals: 9
OVERALL: 9.5/10
Buy to Own: Yes
Check out the trailer below:
NO TRAILER THIS TIME. JUST WATCH THE MOVIE.
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