Daniel Radcliffe sprouts horns and could quite possibly be the devil in the supernatural thriller, Horns. Based on the Joe Hill book, adapted for the screen by Keith Bunin, and directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors), the cast also includes Juno Temple and Heather Graham.
Discussing the film, director Aja said, “After having worked in horror for the last ten years, I felt that I became too familiar with the genre’s tropes and tricks and wanted to reinvent myself. It is only natural that my next film returned to the source of the genre- the gothic. When I first read Joe Hill’s cult novel, Horns – I was intrigued by his modern-American allegory and found the mixture of tones to be incredibly fresh. I was moved by the love-story, humored by the satire and morbidly amused by his absurd portrayal of human nature.
Joe Hill wrote a gothic fable that touches on the motif of the double, the supernatural and the transgression of taboos. His gothic tale exposes and reaffirms society’s definition of normalcy and puts into question our modern addictions and contradictions. But what drew me most to the source material was the fact that it tapped into a universal mythology with a rock’n roll pop-culture edge. It was not just a parable about good vs. evil, but a supernatural thriller with a romantic quest at its heart.”
“But the most important element for me was the story of the devil as the fallen angel,” added Aja. “Metaphorically, Ig’s character was living in an idyllic Garden of Eden with Merrin, until her murder, after which Ig awakes with horns protruding from his skull. He discovers that they have the power to get people to confess their darkest secrets and so he uses these voiced temptations to piece together clues of Merrin’s murder while we flashback to their adolescent coming of age story. Love is his motivation for redemption, but he needs a dash of the devil in order to obtain the truth. In order to clear his name, he literally transforms into the devil and uses these confessions to unravel the mystery and plunges into the sinful depths of human nature of those around him.”
Aja summed up the story by offering this synopsis: “It’s a reversal of Frank Capra’s A Wonderful Life with the tone of Fight Club.”
The Plot:
In the aftermath of his girlfriend’s mysterious death, a young man awakens to strange horns sprouting from his temples.
Watch the trailer:
