Strange Darling (2023) Review: Hook-Up, Hunt, Kill
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
This is a spoiler-free review of ‘Strange Darling’
When is a good time to ask someone if they’re a serial killer? Probably never, you figure out a way to get away from them as quietly as you can, unless you are an investigating officer and the suspect is in handcuffs at a secure facility. But the 2023 horror-thriller ‘Stranger Darling’ opens with a black-and-white shot of a man smoking in his car, while the voice of a lady asks him ‘Are you a serial killer?’. The very first dialogue of the story.
Written and directed by JT Mollner, the film stars Willa Fitzgerald, simply credited as “The Lady,” opposite Kyle Gallner as “The Demon.” The story traces how their one-night stand spirals into a nightmare, leading to a trail of blood, death, and gruesome chaos. A brutal cat-and-mouse chase unfolds as these characters drag down unsuspecting bystanders in their deadly drama.
Told through a non-linear narrative, ‘Strange Darling’ initially comes across as a standard serial-killer flick, with problematic plot-points, where a deranged man is hunting his terrified victim. The deceptively familiar plot tests viewer patience in the first half, but the film shifts gears towards a thrilling, horrifying climax, where a far more twisted truth finally unravels.
The cinematography evokes a neo-noir mood, with deliberate artistic choices that make certain moments pop, like a gripping sequence of Willa Fitzgerald’s character sprinting through the woods, panic etched across her face, her crimson shirt and pants blazing against the lush green backdrop. Hardly ideal colors for hiding in the wild, but they make for striking imagery.
At just one hour and thirty-seven minutes, ‘Strange Darling’ keeps things tight, leaving little room for deep character development. Then again, who really needs an elaborate backstory for a psychotic killer? Both Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner deliver strong performances, though Willa has the tougher role, and much of the film’s pull depends on how willing the viewer is to stick with her through the madness. I thought she was fantastic, even though I disliked The Lady from the very first minutes, which is kind of the point.
Some moments in ‘Strange Darling’ echo the unsettling atmosphere of ‘He Went That Way‘, the Zachary Quinto–Jacob Elordi film that also follows a serial killer and released in the same year. The difference? While ‘Strange Darling’ only claims to be inspired by real events, ‘He Went That Way‘ actually is.
Brimming with blood and violence, the film turns slightly predictable once it shows its cards, but it’s still a gritty, unsettling ride for horror-thriller fans. I’ve sat through plenty of horror stories unfazed, but this one had me flinching way more with its relentless bloodshed.
Rating: 7 on 10. Watch ‘Strange Darling’ on Prime Video.
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