Horns

2013 / USA - Canada /  120 minutes

Director:  Alexandre Aja
Screenplay:  Keith Bunin, based on the novel Horns by Joe Hill
Starring:  Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Juno Temple, Kelli Garner
Genre:  horror, dark fantasy, drama

In the small American town of Gideon's Falls, Ignatius "Ig" Perrish (Radcliffe) is accused of the brutal rape and murder of his girlfriend Merrin (Temple).  Despite his repeated protestations of innocence, the townspeople are convinced of Ig's guilt.  After a night of heavy drinking, Ig wakes up to find two large horns growing out of his head.  While people can see the horns they don't appear to really notice them, but they are also compelled to confess to Ig their deepest, darkest secrets.  Ig determines to use the power of the horns to help him discover the truth behind Merrin's murder.

The film is an adaptation of the 2010 novel Horns by Joe Hill, and sticks relatively close to the source.  The story moves back and forth in time shifting from the present day narrative to Ig and Merrin's youth and the growth of their relationship.  Several elements of the film may be too bizarre for some audiences to accept, but I enjoyed it.  It's less of a conventional horror movie and more of a darkly satirical religious crime drama.  The performances are superb, with Daniel Radcliffe in particular fantastic as the complex, troubled Ig Perrish.