'Strange Darling' is an Electric Thrill Ride [Review]

​(Note: Strange Darling is best experienced going in as blind as possible, so consider that before reading this review. You can thank me later).
 
Learn the name JT Mollner, because if his sophomore feature Strange Darling is any indication, I’d expect audiences are going to be seeing a lot more of him in the future. Shot on gorgeous 35mm, the writer/director’s latest is a shocking tribute to the mad thrillers of the 70s that comes screaming out of the gate like a pissed off banshee thirsty for blood. To say it’s a wild ride wouldn’t begin to encapsulate the fierce whirlwind that is this film. An aggressive beast of a movie that shatters expectations at every corner, it puts you on your toes and keeps you there all the way until the violent and strangely haunting finish.
 
What begins as a one-night stand between The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) and The Demon (Kyle Gallner) spirals into the blood-soaked rampage of a vicious serial killer.
 
Opening on a The Texas Chain Saw Massacre-style crawl recounting the crimes of a serial killer—and narrated with a pitch-perfect gravelly voice by Jason Patric--Strange Darling can be likened to Tobe Hooper’s horror classic in one key way…both are utterly batshit. From the get go, we’re tossed into a pulse-pounding car chase between The Lady and The Demon. Vehicles roar down the pavement. Our bloodied characters shriek and shout like animals. Craig DeLeon’s ominous score booms like the drumbeat of an approaching battle. We don’t know how we got here, and we won’t know for quite a while. It doesn’t matter. Because from the first scene on, Mollner assures the audience that they are in for an insane game of cat and mouse that rips the most primal of instincts out of the character’s screaming mouths. The filmmaker comes at us with claws out and teeth bared, displayed through an intense style of filmmaking with an energy that pulses off the screen.

Part of the brilliance with Strange Darling is how Mollner splits the film into six chapters, all mixed around and out of order, akin to something like Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. And don’t worry, it’s not nearly as confusing as that may sound. The intent here is to keep the audience in suspense with each chapter ending on a cliffhanger, as well as consistently subvert expectations. Mollner is like a cat toying with its food (us), swiping at us and hissing at us and patiently waiting to deliver the final blow. This is a script that takes great pleasure in guiding you towards one direction before suddenly veering off in another. Any time you think you know what’s about to happen, I can assure you, you likely don’t…and that’s what makes this film such an exhilarating ride. Both Gallner and Fitzgerald are absolutely savage in their roles as well, making them entirely unpredictable in what each will do next. Gallner has already garnered quite a large following amongst the horror crowd, and if Fitzgerald doesn’t manage the same, I will be dumbfounded, she is that tremendous in this role.
 
For as intense and vicious and bloody as it is, there is a haunting beauty to Strange Darling that resonates throughout the film like a soft sigh. Though rare, Mollner sprinkles in moments that are simultaneously romantic yet horrific, victorious yet melancholic. Lit at times in luscious blue and red neon, we’re sucked into this random meeting between two people lusting for each other’s bodies but seeming to crave more beneath the surface. As the tagline says, love hurts, and Strange Darling aims to explore the many variations of what we consider as love and how dangerous of a form it can take. The all-out war between The Lady and The Demon? It’s a reflection on the sexual power struggle that often occurs between men and women. The attraction. The frustration. And the anxious fear that the person you’ve decided to spend the night with may have plans to turn you into a human lampshade. Mollner sucks you in with pulse-pounding intensity, yet leaves you contemplating the awful tragedy of a world where something that should be as simple and gratifying as sex can be so precarious, especially for women.
 
Because Strange Darling ignores your average story structure and goes hog wild in its presentation, some of you may find yourselves bewildered at first. But I promise, give it a bit and there is a very good chance you’ll enjoy this gripping rollercoaster for what it is. Featuring electric performances, nerve-wracking suspense and exquisite filmmaking on every technical level, Mollner delivers a unique madness with Strange Darling that makes it one of the most unforgettable thrillers of the year. Do not, I repeat, do not miss this one. With his latest, Mollner has officially staked a claim as a fresh and exciting filmmaker to watch.  

Strange Darling arrives in theaters August 23rd from Magenta Light Studios. 

By Matt Konopka