Strange Darling (2023) Movie Review - 31 Days of Halloween 2024
Welcome to Knockout Horror and to day 3 of our 2024 31 Days of Halloween movie review feature. For those of you who don’t know, we will be reviewing a movie every day of October in the lead up to Halloween. Today we are checking out a movie that is causing a bit of a stir at the moment – Strange Darling.
This movie was originally released in 2023 but only seems to be filtering through to major audiences now. It follows the story of a game of cat and mouse that takes place after a one night stand between a man and a woman. A notorious serial killer is on the loose and there appears to be some link between the canoodling couple and the psychopath stalking the streets.
So Much Hype
People, legitimately, will not shut the hell up about this movie. It is currently sitting at a 90%+ fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an over 7.5 user score on IMDB.
It feels as though something has been in the air, this year. 2024 has, truly, been the year of the horror hype train. From Oddity, to MaXXXine, to Cuckoo. It’s been none stop. Well, Strange Darling is the next movie to jump on and, in my opinion, it is the one I feel is least likely to have a valid ticket.
Presented in a non-linear format spread over six distinct chapters. Strange Darling borrows liberally from movies like Pulp Fiction and attempts to pass it off as completely original. It’s not! It has been done to death and done much better by other directors.
In my opinion, this non-linear format is used to hide a story that is woefully dull and entirely predictable. If this was presented traditionally; people’s opinions about Strange Darling would be far less effusive.
Subverting expectation is an integral part of the horror genre. Twists are an important plot device and can make or break an otherwise average movie. But when the only way you can surprise a viewer is by presenting your story out of time and out of context. You are probably lacking in creativity. Especially when you feel the need to even bring character naming in to the mix.
Completely Predictable and Rather Problematic
Despite this presentation, it is very easy to see what is coming and the surprises are, for the lack of a better way to put it, not all that surprising. My fiancée called out the big twist within the first five minutes and we spent the rest of the movie predicting what would happen next. Outside of the non-linear format, this is a formulaic thriller with little to offer.
The biggest problem, in my eyes, is the message that this movie sends. It is hard to go into detail while avoiding spoilers but, suffice to say, there are big issues here.
There is a misogynistic tinge to the entire story. I can’t shake the feeling that someone involved with development was accused of something by a woman and decided to get back at women, as a whole, by influencing this story.
There is a very strong “don’t believe everything women say” vibe permeating the entire film. Something which, on the surface, makes sense. We shouldn’t take what anybody, regardless of gender, says at face value. But, considering the events of the movie, it all seems woefully problematic. Considering Strange Darling producer Givoanni Ribisi was a staunch defender of convicted rapist Danny Masterson. It’s hard not to raise an eyebrow.
A Few Good Points
Director JT Mollner proudly proclaims, at the start of the movie, that the entire thing was filmed on 35mm. And while this is a nice hint at the pretention of the creator. It’s also somewhat necessary as this felt rather uninspired and bland for something which was filmed traditionally.
I, honestly, wouldn’t have been able to tell had Mollner not gone out of his way to inform the audience. Still, some of the shots demand a little more praise given the additional complexity. Strange Darling is a pretty nice looking movie.
Willa Fitzgerald does a great job as “The Lady”. Providing a spark that, literally, none of the other cast members manage to bring. Outside of Kyle Gallner, as “The Demon”, nobody else in the movie can act worth a damn. Every single performance is painfully wooden.
Dialogue is horrible which doesn’t make things any better. This is a painfully remedial script. Actually cringeworthy at times, in fact. There are a few laughs here and there but most of that is due to Fitzgerald’s use of facial expressions and decent comedy timing.
Should You Watch Strange Darling?
In my opinion, no you shouldn’t watch Strange Darling. It is the most painfully overrated movie of the year in a year full of overrated movies. Outside of its hackneyed, non-linear, Pulp Fiction-lite, format. It is a woefully predictable, formulaic, dull and uninteresting thriller with some nice camera work, two decent performances, a terrible script, and an awful cast. On top of that, the misogynistic undercurrent makes it an uncomfortable watch.
My message to my fellow men, in particular. If your partner is switched on to the real issues that women face in life, don’t make her sit through this movie. She is going to pick up on the problematic aspects and so should you. Even certain members of the production team are hugely problematic. I am sure this film will find a big audience with a certain type of guy. But as far as thrillers go, it is plain, ordinary, unremarkable and dishwater dull.
