Freddy's 31 Days of Horror Day 18: Alejandre Aja's Horns
There's a great combination of talent here both behind and in front of the camera. The movie is based off of the book by Joe Hill, Stephen King's son, and directed by Alejandre Aja, the French director behind High Tension and the fun gorefest of Piranha 3D! Starring as our hellish hero is Danielle Radcliffe in an amazing 360 degree role from anything we've seen him do before alongside costar Juno Temple this may be one of the greatest romantic tragedies I've seen in a long time. 
Danielle Radcliffe stars as Ignacious "Ig" Parish, a young DJ who has had one of the longest and best childhood relationships in his small home town with his girlfriend, Maren (Juno Temple). In a tragic mystery, Maren has been murdered in the woods and all the eyes of the town are on Ig as the prime suspect. Not being able to take the ridicule and judgements of his once friends and family, Ig drinks himself into a stupor every night trying to forget his beautiful Maren and escape the cries of guilt from everyone in the town. One morning he awakens with horns growing out of his head. Worried Ig goes to the doctor to get them checked out and along the way he realizes he has some strange power. The horns grow and the power grows. When around people they lose all inhibition and give into their most deepest wonton desires and tell Ig all of their secrets, with a touch Ig sees these secrets that people have hidden from the world. Deciding to use this newfound power, Ig goes through the town interrogating people that were close to Maren and the murder case, realizing some friends and family may not have been telling the truth entirely. 
Like so many of King's works, Hill also uses the small town aesthetic to show two things. One is the childhood friendship Ig and his friends have, showing how close they all were and how long and far back Ig and Maren's relationship goes. The second use is to show how trapped Ig is, it's the small town where everyone knows everyone and everything and word travels fast. This shows how much of a living hell this is for Ig as there is no escape from the judgement and isolation within his own tormented soul.
Juno Temple's Maren shines like a beautiful star across the canvas of the town, showing how much light she shines in Ig's life. She is the star of his world and Ig cherishes her with every breath in his body. Throughout the film we see the simplicities of their life as merely lying side by side in the woods brightens each other's lives and makes everything around them come to life. They need each other to survive and thrive on the nourishment of each other's love. These scenes of light are paralleled when Ig walks the same paths and ways alone after Maren's death. The lighting changes from one of hope to despair. Where once a forest seems teeming with life and cheer there is nothing bust despair and the feeling of death in the air. The forest itself is a representation of their love and to see that beauty destroyed is a devastating thing to see, Aja truly masters this change of tones in the aesthetics. 
We see most of the movie in flashbacks as Ig interrogates people and pieces the night of the murder together as well as the friends pasts. It is a definite roller coaster of tone as Ig interrogates people because Ig will see beautiful and tragic scenes of the past but also as I said before makes people lose all inhibition. This loss of inhibition leaves room for Aja to give us his twisted comedic humor, so we are not treated only to a tragedy but a comedy of emotions! At one point a doctor is trying to saw off Ig's horns and puts him under anesthesia, Ig awakens to the doctor and nurse having sex right over him! Ig's power is also of influence, my favorite moment being when the news crews who are constantly following him around stop him in the middle of the street and he orders them to beat each other to death and a battle royale of news crews ensues Anchorman style! 
There is more to the makeup FX than just the Horns too. After working with Aja on Piranha, Greg Nicotero and a Howard Berger return to create the FX of the ever growing horns, as they get bigger and bigger! He even at one point is allied with a ton of slithering snakes! The greatest FX is in the end of the movie though. Once we discover who the murderer is, they try to dispose of Ig, Ig returns to confront the killer with some of his surviving friends. He returns as a fiery beast from hell to exact his revenge upon the killer! This makeup is amazing and the final fight is epic!
Danielle Radcliffe's Ig is perhaps the most pitiable character you'll see in a long time. To see all of his friends and family turn on him so easily especially after watching how much in love he and Maren are is heartbreaking. The very idea Ig could be the killer is heart wrenching. It's an amazingly crafted film and it is as much a good drama as it is a horror.
13 Days til' Halloween Halloween!
13 Days til' Halloween! Silver Shamrock!
