HORNS

2015 / Director. Alexandre Aja.
Review by Glenn Cochrane.

Alexandre Aja is a director who creates vivid, twisted and beautifully sinister worlds. His is a horror visionary who pushes through Hollywood's restraints to create violent textures and eye-popping imagery. His films HAUTE TENSION and THE HILLS HAVE EYES wowed audiences and cemented his place in the horror world. I was even a massive fan of his underappreciated PIRANHA 3D. His latest film is HORNS, starring Daniel Radcliffe as a man accused of his girlfriend's rape & murder. He wakes one morning to find horns growing from his forehead and suddenly everyone he comes into contact with reveals their inner most feelings and desires to him. He has found himself with an unnatural power and has the ability to control whoever he crosses... with potentially ghastly consequences. With his new abilities he begins to unravel the mystery of his girlfriend's murder. This is a wonderful little film that is soaked with atmosphere. By taking this unusual (ludicrous) concept and shrouding it with a vibrant and damp ambience, Aja has created a unique horror love story that is as equally heartfelt as it is violent. Daniel Radcliffe fully embraces the character and does such a good job of it that I couldn't imagine anyone else leading the film. The story moves back and forth in time to tell a story that spans over a decade. The flashback scenes depict the characters as children, which plays out similarly to films like STAND BY ME and IT and with the film shot in the Vancouver area the dense mountainous small-town setting is perfectly captured. The location feels like a character unto itself and wherever the script might meander at times, it is compensated with the wonderful cinematography and set design. HORNS is something different that is sure to be divisive. Fans of surreal and textured horror will surely lap it up.  

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