7 of 7 viewers "Liked" "Horns" (USA, 2014)
Here's what the citizens of the Overlook Theatre had to say:
The Berkeley Blazer - "An exuberant morality masquerading as a supernatural thriller, Horns' just-outside-of satirical reverse Manichaeism is a welcome theme to cogitate on after the deluge of sin/devil/true evil narratives we have been force fed over the last three years. Though we can never take the plight of the protagonists hipster-devil completely seriously, his journey through devilhood while trying to find the killer of his Beatrice is completely engaging and thoroughly entertaining. The performances are mostly good and Radcliffe truly hits a new stride despite my initial skepticism upon hearing his American accent. I'd stop short of calling it profound, but it is thought provoking to watch Izzy once he becomes comfortable with his powers and mastery of the id. Films like these keep my toes in the horror pool, so keep em coming." - 4 Stars
KillDozer - "Love him or hate him Alexander Aja is a modern master of horror. I was happy to see him stray from the path of straight forward genre and show off his skills with something more emotionally driven. A solid cast and a fun "who done it?" "Law and Order" murder case with a twist. The Horns are what really make the film worth watching/making. No Spoilers from me except that you will be able to relate to the fact that somethings are better left unsaid and honesty can be brutal some times." - 3 Stars (Not quite collection worthy but worth watching)
Math Mage - "It's Twin Peaks as a movie but unlike Twin Peaks the more it resolves the mystery instead of just being weird the only disappointing part is that the mystery is resolved through supernatural powers (the titular horns). I don't mind this if the mystery is itself supernatural but when it isn't, it just seems like cheating. The film deals well with the horror of being convicted by the media (and suspected by the closest to you) and it's loads of fun hearing Danial Radcliff's American accent." - 4 Stars
Ice Giant - "Not as good as the book and Harry Potters American accents pretty terrible but it's still makes for an entertaining movie. The special effects were of special note, they really went all out on the practical/CG effects." - 3.5 Stars
Lord Battle - "Horns is a dark comedy, driven by a mystery, located in a Canadian twin peaks, and explores traditional biblical tales while adding a modern twist... Yet the thing that sparked up the most discussion is Radcliff's accent, which I thought was terrible and incredibly distracting but somehow manages to grow on you. Not Alexander Aja's best but far from bad." - 4 Stars
Huntress - "The last non-Harry Potter movie I saw Daniel Radcliff in was The Woman in Black, and I couldn't get over him being in a father role. I was expecting to scoff about a lot of things during Horns too but was pleasantly surprised by a winding murder mystery that I got really caught up in." - 3 Stars
Unicorn Slayer - "Daniel Radcliffe is an amazing actor, and those who did not grow up watching him would be hard pressed to recognize that this was not his natural accent." - 3 Stars
The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*
(Below is for after you've seen the film)
Horns was a solid four and a half stars for me through the entire film, until the end. Most of the film felt like a dark thriller but with sparks of humor amongst the gritty reality that is Iggy's life and current situation. People's introductions and histories were worked in seamlessly and were enjoyable to watch. I would not say Horns is subtly biblical in any sense, though I do feel it was cliched in a way. And while I enjoyed the obvious horns and pitchfork symbolism, and tolerated the serpents, I felt the reference to the seven deadly sins was a bit much. And Iggy putting on his dead lover's cross and with an angelic glow, being suddenly healed was not needed.
The part of the film that dropped my rating down to 3 stars was the confrontation in the woods at the end. As I previously stated, I felt the film started as a thriller, but here it changes aesthetic to a horror comedy. I enjoyed the idea that Iggy was a normal guy who happens to grow horns and is gifted with an unworldly power, but now he has literally become a fallen angel, growing angel wings and in an instant, burning and crashing to the ground, morphing into a molten devil. The gore in this part of the film was definitely upped, and it felt like an entirely different ending that was tacked on. It could have just as easily taken a similar ending route as Pan's Labyrinth, in which there is still a confrontation and there are still deaths of the same characters, but it wasn't blatantly biblical. I still like this film, all things considered. Daniel Radcliffe is an amazing actor, and those who did not grow up watching him would be hard pressed to recognize that this was not his natural accent. Even knowing how the film ends, I would definitely watch this classic love story again.
- Unicorn Slayer
The poster above was the first in a series of daily movie posters (thus the #1 in the corner) by Hyung68 on DeviantArt.
*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not effect the rating.
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