I went into HORNS completely cold knowing nothing more than the image of Daniel Radcliffe sporting a pair of the titular appendages while holding a snake. Furthermore, I didn't even have prior knowledge that the film is based on the popular book by Joe Hill. I kind of love not being able to compare an adaptation to the source material, simply enjoying the film in it's own unique format. Of course, I totally dig it the other way around too, seeing one of your favorite literary works come to life before your eyes. I guess my point is that with an adaptation, there are inherent comparisons that will be made, and my opinion is based solely on the film itself. I digress...
For those that don't know, HORNS is the story of Iggy (Radcliffe), a small towner who has been accused of murdering his longtime sweetheart, Merrin. Iggy is near the end of his rope contending with the 24 hour news crews camped all over town and the disdainful looks he now elicits from a community of people he's known his entire life. In a rather dramatic turn of events, Iggy wakes to find a pair of horns growing from his hairline one morning after a bender with an old friend. Apparently, along with the horns comes the power to make people speak their true mind. Soon, the horns and their powers become an extremely useful tool in Iggy's quest to avenge his lover's murder and clear his own name. The horns and their voodoo also provide a terrific platform from which we can question human nature in its most raw and honest form.
I totally dug HORNS. From the childhood flashbacks establishing the core characters, the perfect dusting of dark humor, and the utterly convincing and bittersweet love story, HORNS appealed to me on many levels. Danielle Radcliffe's portrayal of Iggy is wonderful. The role calls for a mix of utter determination with a darkly humorous twist, and Radcliffe handles both very well. There are moments in HORNS where a lesser actor's performance could easily devolve into a caricature, but Radcliffe holds tightly onto the reins delivering a heartfelt and convincing performance with nary a wink or nudge.
Juno Temple plays her usual ethereal self here, and many of the other supporting players (Max Minghella as the loyal friend, David Morse as Merrin's bereft father, Kathleen Quinlin as Iggy's hand-wringing mom) fill the shoes of their characters aptly, but no performance stands above that of our horned protagonist.
Rounding out my internal checklist are the outstanding special effect sequences that are sometimes metaphoric, sometimes hyper real, and always impressive. There's a good dose of gore throughout the film that is subtle enough not to detract from the story, yet the visual effects in the most pivotal moments definitely go there in a scope I wasn't expecting.
My only beef with the film is that there's a clairvoyant ability in Iggy's new powers that isn't completely fleshed out. While I know this element is clear to fans of the literature, I would have appreciated just a bit more clarification of Iggy's capabilities.
Obviously, HORNS is getting a wide release, and I totally recommend checking it out if you enjoy a solid supernatural love story with a nice blend of dark humor and special effects.
Cheers,
Rebecca Elliott, aka Annette Kellerman
