Does a horror movie have to be scary in order to be good? Many would argue that, by definition, yes, a “horror” movie should be “horrifying.” However, there are plenty of popular horror flicks that get away with merely being suspenseful and gory rather than outright terrifying. Heck, some supposed fright flicks are popular because they’re just plain silly. Still, what about when a movie makes you feel not so much horror but just downright disturbed by the state of humanity? If you consider horror to be any movie that can make its audience feel thoroughly uncomfortable in every way, then Horns certainly fits the bill.
Horns tells the story of Iggy (Daniel Radcliffe), a man who’s been accused of killing his longtime girlfriend and love of his life, Merrin (Juno Temple). He’s the most hated guy in town; he’s harassed by paparazzi, kicked out of bars, and even has people praying for his death. After a night of debauchery, he finds himself in a strange predicament the next morning: he’s growing horns. Not only that, but everyone who sees the horns can’t seem to help but confess their deepest, darkest secrets to him. Iggy then decides to use his newfound power to find his girlfriend’s real killer.
Let’s get some obvious positives out of the way first. Daniel Radcliffe does an amazing job as Iggy. Iggy is far from a sympathetic protagonist, despite his dead girlfriend. To put it as politely as possible, he’s a jerk. Granted, he’s the nicest jerk in the whole movie, but he’s still a jerk. Radcliffe is able to pull off this jerkiness very well and has definitely grown up from his days at Hogwarts. Between this and The Woman in Black, it seems Radcliffe has found a good niche in horror flicks.
The writing and directing of the movie are pretty solid as well. As the mystery thickens, the atmosphere thickens as well. There’s a particularly well done sequence where one of the character gets high out of his mind and the visuals are extremely trippy. This is a movie adaptation of a novel and, having read the novel myself, I can say that this is about as faithful as a movie can get. Sure, there are definitely things that had to be changed from book to screen, but they’re understandable changes.
Here’s my problem with this movie: I can’t in good conscience recommend it to anyone. As I’ve said before, this movie made me uncomfortable in almost every conceivable way. Aside from the almost angelic girlfriend, each and every character is a grade-A jerk. Even Iggy’s parents have huge moments where the audience can’t help but despise them. There’s gore, sure, but not too much, and most of it coming at the film’s climax.
Jerky characters and slight gore aside, why did this film make me feel so disgusted with humanity? This is best explained through example. Let’s say you suddenly gained the ability to read minds. Not just the good stuff, the bad stuff too. You would hear what people truly thought about you, no matter how painful it would be for you. You would hear all their darkest desires, their twisted thoughts, their every murderous and depraved whim. In short, you would be able to hear the worst things human minds are capable of thinking through every second of every day.
That, my friends, is what this movie does well. It shows people the worst of the plague that devours humanity. It shows how selfish and cruel people can be even toward those who they consider their loved ones. Seeing that kind of thing put out in the open is extremely uncomfortable to watch. It makes you feel disgusted to be part of the human race. And, honestly, I think that’s why this movie is so good.
This isn’t supposed to be a comfortable experience for the audience. It’s supposed to be horror. And horror is, ultimately, about people getting together for some kind of uncomfortable experience. Horns has that in spades.
Still, I cannot recommend this movie for anyone looking for a good time. It shows a dark side of humanity that I’m not sure anyone other than hardcore horror fans will want to see. However, if you’re a person who’s looking for a different kind of horror movie that isn’t so much about being scary, Horns still might not be for you. I only recommend Horns to those who feel like watching a movie that’ll make you want a stiff drink afterward.
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