‘Strange Darling’ movie review: tightly executed thrills
Over the past few years, it seems as though horror cinema has become more inventive – something needed to keep the genre fresh and innovative. With Strange Darling, writer and director JT Mollner uses the popular cat-and-mouse set-up and turns it on its head, taking the audience on a relentless, nonlinear ride. It is perhaps the most original horror movie of the year.
We begin the film with a title card that explains how we’re about to witness the end of a serial killer’s murderous spree, but there is little given away about the identity or nature of the crimes. Shots flash on the screen that tease intense violence and terror, and then we’re dropped into a cold open: a woman driving away from a man with a shotgun, eventually running as fast as she can with a look of pure fear on her face.
We have no idea what has led to this moment, but instantly, we’re caught up in chaos, with the film practically demanding us to stay seated. The story subsequently unravels across six chapters and an epilogue, each one highly stylised with echoes of Quentin Tarantino, especially the car chase scenes. The influence of Brian De Palma, known for creating thrillers like Blow Out and Body Double, is also apparent through the use of a split diopter shot, clearly paying homage to the filmmaker and his signature technique.
The film is full of shocking twists and turns, ones which will likely have you gasping as Mollner plays with our expectations and the typical conventions of the thriller genre. Both Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner are great in the main roles, both playing their multitudinous and complicated characters with impressive believability. The final shot featuring Fitzgerald is a memorable one, allowing her to display some admirable physical acting skills.
There are moments of intense action sandwiched between calmer scenes featuring long conversations, allowing the audience a chance to let their heart rates revert back to normal. Mollner was inspired by the musical ideas of balancing soft and loud championed by Pixies, which he used to create that well-needed dichotomy in his film. Thus, Strange Darling is paced well, and it feels as though we are given the time to gain insights into the characters’ personalities and slowly piece parts of the puzzle together, allowing the information we glean to inform subsequent scenes of high-octane action.
Visually, the movie has some gorgeous scenes, such as the neon-soaked bathroom and car park sequences, while others look a little more amateur, as though a very well-off film school student has taken the reins. This is perhaps due to the fact that cinematography was taken care of by actor Giovanni Ribisi, a first-time director of photography.
Still, the film drips with style and originality, asking us to leave all expectations outside of the movie theatre and sink into an electrifying world where anything is seemingly possible. There are certainly moments where the dialogue is a little on-the-nose or threatens to rely on clichéd lines, but for the most part, this is a solid horror-thriller that is tightly executed, well-acted, and lots of fun.
