STRANGE DARLING
Kyle Gallner, undisputed Scream King (and my secret music boyfriend), stars alongside Willa Fitzgerald in JT Mollner‘s bonkers thriller STRANGE DARLING. Popcorn Frights 2024 audiences finally witness the unbelievable story of a famed serial killer. Told through six chapters, although nonlinear, this shocking film is here is f*ck you up.
Opening with a Texas Chainsaw-inspired crawl, the audience is thrust into violent chaos, beginning with Chapter 3. The relentless pursuit and full-blown disturbing, but hold on a gosh darn minute. Christopher Robin Bell’s editing keeps us in a state of agitated panic. I know that device drives some people crazy. Here, it heightens every aspect of their dynamic. It all feels so personal that you need to comprehend the depravity.
Augmented color choices in STRANGE DARLING give the film a devilish and addicting quality. The score is grating and decidedly ominous- A genuine compliment. The lighting is simply delicious. The soundtrack is fire, as the kids say.
Gallner is a genius. This unhinged performance feels dangerous. Even more so than his role in The Passengers. Willa Fitzgerald delivers an award-worthy turn. She is fierce as hell and totally deranged. It is nothing short of a wow.
Fitzgerald and Gallner’s chemistry is sick. There is an undeniable electricity between them, and it’s like watching a a sexy car crash happen in real time. The plot is spectacularly unpredictable. Don’t bother guessing from moment to moment, even though Mollner’s script hypes you up to do so. The sheer number of “Oh Shit” moments! Slow clap, sir.
If you want to talk about boundary-pushing movies, STRANGE DARLING is up there with the best. There is an eccentricity that lands somewhere between A Wounded Fawn and Megalomaniac. Yeah, I know that’s a broad spectrum. This twisted erotic fantasy bends until it breaks. It stokes a conversation about kink and consent, power and obsession, and, believe it or not, gender bias. The final shot is genre heaven. Few films are perfect. STRANGE DARLING is perfect.
YEAR: 2023
COUNTRY: USA
RUNTIME: 96 min
DIRECTOR: JT Mollner
WRITER: JT Mollner
STARRING: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, Giovanni Ribisi
Young lovers Tom and Maria are interrupted by a chainsaw-wielding maniac. After Maria’s kidnapping, aided by the eternally upbeat Jaan, Tom tracks her down only to discover the dark secrets surrounding the killer’s past and present. If Monty Python and Mel Brooks decided to make a slasher film, Estonian filmmaker Sander Maran’s CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING would be their demented little offspring. It is the kind of instant cult classic ripe for Midnight screenings. 
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For all things Fantasia 2024, 
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ONE FOR THE ROAD
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Synopsis
The production design by Lauren Kelly delivers visuals that are startling and sneaky. Creepy art pieces, like the anatomical drawing behind Ted’s desk to the Rorschach paintings, hung in the house subconsciously keep you off kilter. Darcy’s shop even houses director Damian McCarthy‘s disquieting rabbit from his 2020 terrifier CAVEAT.
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DEAD TOOTH
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SWEATY LARRY
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DEATH PERCEPTION
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THE HONGFU HOTEL
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