For the first 30-45 minutes of Strange Darling, I was banking on hating the movie. That’s probably not saying too many good things for a movie that just comes in at just over an hour and a half. It’s horror, which isn’t my favorite genre, but occasionally movies surprise me. Really, Strange Darling is a thriller, told in six chapters, out of order so they don’t give away too much too soon.
I was ready to turn to movie off after 30 minutes, but a friend encouraged me to stick with it. The first half hour of the movie seems to bank on violence against women. From a chase scene, including the woman being shot at, a hook-up gone wrong, and a woman running for her life. But when the movie drops the reveal, you find out nothing is as it seems. So if the first part of the movie makes you uncomfortable and you feel like abandoning it, it may be worth it to give it just a little bit more time.
The movie is lauded as one day in the love life of a Serial Killer and is based on a fictional killer’s last six kills before they stopped killing. And that last day of their life is a ride. The movie probably dances as close to the definition of a thriller as we can expect, nothing is as it seems, random victims are taken along the way and of course and ill-fated love affair as well.
Strange Darling probably won’t be a re-watch for me, but I can appreciate what the writer and director were trying to do. The chapters being told out of order makes sense to the story but didn’t in context while watching the movie (at least for me). The numbers being out of order made it hard for me to keep track if we actually got six chapters in the story or if they were just flashing numbers throughout the film. But once you know what is going on, the scattershot storytelling is obviously there to not ruin anything in the big reveal.
I just really wish it didn’t take so long for the movie to get to a point that kept my interest, or didn’t seem like it was just a film banking on violence against women. There’s a decent story once you know what’s going on, but it seems like it really took a while to get there.
Strange Darling is currently playing in theaters and is going to be big for horror and thriller fans.
Overall Rating
About Strange Darling
Get ready for the most gripping horror thriller of 2024! Watch the Strange Darling Trailer 2024, the official trailer for a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Starring Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner, this film dives into a twisted one-night stand that spirals into a serial K I L L E R’s vicious M U R D E R spree. Directed by JT Mollner, with stunning cinematography by Giovanni Ribisi, this movie is a must-see for horror-thriller enthusiasts.