Horns (2014)

Thanks for the memories!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Everyone involved with HORNS seems to hate the movie with a passion and bring a determination to deliver the sloppiest, laziest, can't-give-a-damnedest work possible. If you put it next to the book -- which is quite an amazing book -- it's a galling disappointment. But equally, if you put that text aside and evaluate the movie on its own merits, it's lifeless and limp and held together with strident musical cues and voiceover inserts that seem to have been recorded in a hotel room while Harry Potter was nursing a hangover. Imagine if suckfests like SPAWN hadn't had fun bits, that's HORNS.

Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) and Merrin Williams are deeply in love since their early childhood. After her brutal murder, the town is outraged believing him to be guilty. Even his parents aren't sure. The evidence is against him. After sleeping with barmaid Glenna Shepherd, he wakes up the next morning with horns growing out of his head. Now, people confess to him their darkest thoughts, obey his command, and unleash their hidden desires. He can bring out their memories. He tries to piece together that fateful night and find Merrin's killer.The premise brings out the darkness of humanity. It does struggle to settle on a specific level. It has too much silliness at times which threatens to make the movie a light weight. As for the murder mystery, it seems obvious from early on. There are probably too many hints. This movie has a good idea set up. Radcliffe is a fine lead. It stumbles once in awhile but manages to cross the finish line with plenty in the tank.

Renowned author Stephen King obviously taught his son Joe, now a successful writer on his own, some good lessons. Here Joe came up with an odd but compelling story. It does take some getting used to, because it switches from a darkly comic tone to a dead serious one. As for the comedy, it's not always terribly funny, but it touches upon the intriguing idea of what many of us would do if we were EXTREMELY open and honest about our wildest and darkest desires.People in this tale are compelled to voice their secret, selfish, crazy thoughts and do whatever the Hell they feel like doing, thanks to Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe, doing a solid if not flawless American accent). Merrin (Juno Temple), the love of his life, was found murdered some time ago, and most people are convinced that Ig is the culprit. But, one day as he is nursing a hangover, some actual horns have sprouted from his head, and they have a profound influence on many of the people with whom he interacts. They just might come in handy as he attempts to solve the crime and clear his name.Although it should be clear to most people (even this viewer) who the killer is early on, one shouldn't let that detract too much from the offbeat pleasures of this amusing horror drama. It's gorgeously shot in widescreen, with director Alexandre Aja filling the frame with lots of detail. There is some good gore and makeup effects by the prolific Gregory Nicotero and Howard Berger, as well as a plethora of snake imagery and a genuinely memorable finale. Just like his dad has done often, Joe spins a yarn that includes some effective childhood vignettes.Radcliffe heads a solid cast - Max Minghella as his childhood friend turned lawyer, Joe Anderson as his pathetic brother, James Remar and Kathleen Quinlan as his parents, Heather Graham in a small but funny turn as a vain, self serving waitress, and David Morse as Merrins' angry, grief-stricken father.While far from perfect, "Horns" is just interesting enough to make it a welcome deviation from blander contemporary genre fare.Seven out of 10.

I have never been more outraged in my entire life. This is by far the worst movie I have ever watched and possibly in the history of motion pictures. Hugely disappointed I can't give it a 0 stars. How dare my friend make me endure this 2-hour abomination with my own two eyes. My month is ruined. First of all, the lines were /absolute/ crap. Hackneyed, meaningless and stupid oh God. I could see Daniel Radcliffe trying very hard to blow life into his frightful part, and I appreciated it but it wasn't working. The plot makes no sense. Plot holes littered themselves here and there and have they heard of the word l o g i c. The only saving grace of this movie is the effects, which were not so deplorable as any other aspects of this movie. And Max Minghella. He was the only one who pulled this off. I'm sure the book was very nice but it can't make me believe it was worth an adaption. I'm going to go erase this movie from my memory now. An F- Thanks for nothing.