General [SPOILER WARNING] for Strange Darling. Go in cold, and have a blast!
This is why you should always look forward to scary movies. While the studio system can get bogged down in movies that only “appeal to everyone” to make the most money, the horror/thriller genre has its parameters in place. Movies, even the bad ones, make roughly $20 million, meaning you keep the production less than that, and you have the creative freedom to make what you want. Only in that type of environment could a movie with relatively no name directors and stars become a sensation like Strange Darling is.
That, and a scroll that basically says the best 2nd sentence you could ever use for ANY story: “And then the murders began.” Yes, director JT Mollner is basically documenting the last days of a serial killer working out in the Rocky Mountains (Colorado, Oregon, etc). Smash cut to the lady (Willa Fitzgerald) slow motion running in a meadow, being chased by the demon (Kyle Gallner), running into a house with a strange old married couple (Genevieve and Frederick, played by Barbara Hershey and Ed Begley Jr.).
Much of the kinetic energy of strange darling comes from that opening 5 minutes. We get a terse, scary anti-Star Wars blood handwriting catching the audience up with the story in progress, telling us there will be 6 Chapters. Then immediately, we get a title card: “Chapter 3.” So Mollner right away shows us he’s puppeteering us nonlinearly through this tale. Without spoiling the details, I’ll say the order goes 3,5,1,4,2,6. 3 and 5 are the stage setters, planting us in a really terrifying cat and mouse scenario staring with the scene described above, wordlessly chasing each other through a forest to this strange house. Mollner sets his tone right away: this is going to be hella tense, and and least a little darkly funny. The concoction he delivers is one of those head shakers, where you’re trying to reset your brain trying to understand what is going on, and more importantly, where the hell we might be going.
Of the 6 chapters, the one that NEEDS to work is Chapter 1 though. It’s the pivot point of the movie, and snaps everything that will follow into focus so the story can finish. Consequently, this is also the least action driven sequence, relying on the script and the stars performances. The script takes what seems like a straightforward thriller and completely upends the character dynamics we see in the opening chapters, muddying the waters, making everything that follows definitely different and just a little messier, lit to creepy perfection. The biggest credit goes to relative unknowns Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald. Gallner’s been making a name for himself on the modern horror front, but nothing as interesting as what he’s doing here, giving a ranged arcing performance. But Willa Fitzgerald is gonna get most of the accolades, as she should. I’d never seen her before, but after what I saw her do here, I hope her career just skyrockets. Fitzgerald found a way to merge leading woman and character actor into the same thing, an unholy captivating chameleon that carries the movie towards its big conclusion.
Even when you think you know where Strange Darling is going, it changes course again just to keep you on your toes. The final fate of everyone fits nicely into Mollner’s Tale, particularly the lady’s. The come down is a little longer than you might think, but that’s because JT Mollner throws us a bone, and eases us back into the real world, after the gripping crazy thrill ride he’s just taken us on. Cause when the credits rolled, I simply stated “Holy sh*t!” and jumped out of my seat, excited to tell the world how this Darling is Strange, but also…spectacular.
Final warning: the trailer is below, but don’t watch if you’re considering Strange Darling, just go.