Review of Horns (2013) by Thequietgamer — 19 Apr 2016

It's a dark fantasy whodunit with a touch of the supernatural. A hodgepodge of genres come together way better than they should. Primarily this mystery is a horror-comedy. Just not a scary one. That's not really a bad thing. The craziness of the situation and genuinely good story kept me invested. The laugh-out-loud funny moments and excellent performance by Daniel Radcliffe also helped.

It's more emotional and weird than one would have guessed even with the absurdity of the premise. It's clear that the film is in on the craziness going on. There's a tone of self-awareness. However rather than tripping over that knowledge like so many other self-aware films do, "Horns" uses it to add some believable humor to the mix. It's darkly funny to watch people confess and act upon their deepest and darkest secrets, as it should be.

While the humor and magic inherent to the tale are appreciated, what really keeps you invested in unraveling exactly what happened to "Iggy's" (Radcliffe) girlfriend is the heart of the tale. All the betrayal, mystery, drama, and questioning really wouldn't mean a thing if the audience wasn't convinced that Iggy really did love her. Radcliffe once again delivers another stunning performance to make sure that we do.

Obviously the horns are a big part of this "Gone Girl" style flick. Without the magic there wouldn't be the humor or the touches of horror that help give it the edge. I was really interested in figuring out just what caused the horns and other supernatural elements to go on in the first place. That's where the movie kind of stumbles. While it delivers every explanation you want for the actual murder story, we're left in the dark as to the supernatural part. It's really the movie's only disappointment for me. Given the religious undertones surrounding the horns and other powers there could have been yet another layer of depth to the film.

Unfortunately that isn't the case. It's kind of let down, but the rest of the movie is so good I can't fault it too much. It's an emotional, darkly funny, sweet and deranged story that brings several genres together to create something new and exciting. With another stunning performance by Radcliffe who is backed up a (mostly) stellar cast we have another delightfully weird movie from the Harry Potter star that has the potential to charm in new, strange ways. While I can't speak for everyone I can say that it did hook me and I highly recommend giving it a shot.