Typically, a thriller should not have an incoherent narrative; this genre relies on the creation and maintenance of suspense through storytelling. However, adopting a non-linear approach runs the risk of disrupting this suspense and disturbing the pacing. Strange Darling is a dark horror thriller that does new things, and more so – it amplifies the narrative device using steroids whose details we won’t reveal here because of spoilers. Stephen King has already hailed Strange Darling — partially after the beautiful tune that plays over the film’s dazzling opening-credit sequence — as a “smart work” among other things, and rightly so; it pretty much is.
But don’t be fooled by Strange Darling as anything other than completely distinctive: Giovanni Ribisi is involved with this acclaimed performer, but not just in front of cameras this time around — he co-produces too while working under writer/director JT Mollner (Outlaws & Angels) as a talented DP. Together they make visually stunning movies that are also hypnotic AF; they are known for being really dark but gripping even if you’re not into horror per se. That’s some clever storytelling at its best right there.
Fellow master of horror Mike Flanagan has also sung praises about strange darling without spoiling anything or giving away too much about what makes it groundbreaking except to say that people should go see such films without knowing anything beforehand which I second wholeheartedly don’t give any juicy bits out let folks discover them themselves okay thanks onewithspoons oh yeah then there are these factors whereof many form part thereof hereto first off cast quality over quantity all day long here folks deliver performances imbued with so much emotion despite having no backstories whatsoever.
In fact, neither Willa Fitzgerald (Reacher) nor Kyle Gallner (Smile) have names in Mollner’s purposefully jumbled narrative world — Fitzgerald goes by “The Woman,” while Gallner plays “The Demon.” But that’s the least of your title card-related double-takes during this film, which might lead to a few. Yes, it’s divided into chapters like some movies are but not in a way that’s just style for style’s sakes so make sure you pay attention when one chapter ends and another begins — I mean look no shade at all towards those who need their hand held through movies because come on we’ve all been there sometimes but Strange Darling is not one of those don’t glance away from the screen type deals Instagram can wait.
And honestly you won’t want to scroll through half of this 96-minute runtime anyway after the artsy opening credits finish up we’re thrown right smack dab into the middle an action-packed car chase where The Woman is trying her best to evade Smile who has armed himself with a very scary-looking sniper rifle what caused such strife? When you think you have recovered from or know what just happened or will occur next – think again.
Strange Darling may be more (way bloodier) thriller than anything else, but damn if its clever story structure doesn’t remind me just a little bit about Barbarian — Zach Cregger’s recent masterpiece falls squarely within horror territory even though it too is primarily driven by smarts; according to Mollner during our chat he mentioned pre-Jaws Spielberg classic Duel as being among his influences for strange darling which makes sense upon reflection however still feels fresh in today’s cinema landscape.
Editor Christopher Robin Bell has previously collaborated with Mollner, but he does the job of his life here and applies all that he has learned in the cutting room on shaky action movies like United 93 and The Bourne Ultimatum. Robert Reed Lehman’s jarring editing heightens Ribisi’s beautiful framing and the stunning work from colorists Scotty Cross and George Koran to keep you on your toes. The rhythm and flow of this journey are purposefully bumpy, with Craig DeLeon’s bombastic musical score keeping our blood pressure spiked in the best possible way while The Woman continues her escape plan across rural, secluded terrain.
This is also a film bolstered by deliciously scene-stealing performances by a couple recognizable faces in small doses, such as Better Call Saul‘s Ed Begley Jr. and Black Swan‘s Barbara Hershey playing a hippie-like couple living in peace out in the ‘burbs — until death comes knocking on their door, quite literally, when it’s The Woman running from her murderous gun-wielding maniac. The reliably hilarious Begley (Pineapple Express, Arrested Development, A Mighty Wind) brings some great laughs to the film. And there’s another familiar performer from the Breaking Bad universe who makes a sensational little appearance later in Strange Darling as well, but we won’t spoil it here.
Here’s what we’re getting at: whether it be a sprinkling of dark comedy or a quick return to this movie’s thrillingly bloody violence that its promotional campaign promised us once upon a time, Strange Darling is flat-out entertaining from beginning to end. It has this timeless kind of vintage feel to it; mysterious and archetypal characters with great bits of dialogue; lots of suspenseful surprises — but above everything else, it’s just visually thrilling in ways you’ll never forget. We can only hope that Mollner and Ribisi have many more projects together behind the lens. Until then, and we can’t stress this enough, you don’t have to be a horror nut to get down with this one.
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