Horns
CAST
Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple
RATING
R
RELEASE
October 31, 2014
DIRECTOR
Alexandre Aja
STUDIO(S)
Radius-TWC,
Dimension Films
RUNNING TIME
2 hours
STARS
***1/4
REVIEW:
Daniel Radcliffe is doing a bang-up job getting away from his "Harry Potter" image. From historical dramas like "Kill Your Darlings" to delightful rom-coms like "What If," he's definitely succeeding at showing people how capable of an actor he really is. With the new film "Horns," Radcliffe delves back into the realms of fantasy and horror as he plays Ig Parrish, a man whose longtime girlfriend was murdered and is accused by the town he lives in that he's responsible for it. After a drunken night of playing with god, Ig wakes up to the startling discovery of horns growing from his forehead. And yet, that isn't even the craziest thing in his life. Things are even stranger when people, when they see the horns, begin to tell the truth, and doing so revealing their darkest and most cynical thoughts out loud.
The story itself becomes pretty predictable and the villain, without spoiling who he or she is, is pretty obvious and cliched, but I had fun with "Horns" overall. Daniel Radcliffe looks like he's having a fun time in the role of Ig, and there are scenes with his character that are both hilarious and awesome. The visual effects and makeup designs are also very impressive, looking realistic and just plain cool in general. The script by first time screenwriter Keith Bunin, based on Joe Hill's novel of the same name, suffers from not knowing exactly what genre it wants to be. There are moments that are played purely for laughs and others that are played for scares. Unlike other recent horror films like "You're Next" and "The Cabin in the Woods," this film didn't have the right tools to properly mesh the two genres well enough so the film has an equal balance of both horror and comedy. Having said that, I still found enjoyment in Radcliffe's performance and several key moments that had me say "F** yeah" out loud. If you're looking for a fun, but flawed, horror flick, "Horns" is a solid film to choose.
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