The rise of Kyle Gallner to genre icon continues with the twisty and bloody Strange Darling.
Luckily here he has ample backup with Willa Fitzgerald proving an equally compelling screen presence.
Told in a 6 chapter format, Strange Darling does things its own way, mixing up the order to give us a story which you only fully realise its full breadth towards its conclusion. Between that, it is extremely entertaining and intense, so it can be forgiven for not taking a more linear route.
The opening shot has a cover version of Love Hurts, and there cannot be a better metaphor for the film, as Gallner’s The Demon looks to track down Fitzgerald’s The Lady, with a drive that is intense and at times unrelenting.
Strange Darling keeps you guessing where it will go next, with a Tarantino-style structure, it is a feature that genre fans will lap up.
While it doesn’t quite live up to the hype, which Stephen King was part of, Strange Darling is a compelling watch that will give you your blood quota from Frightfest and then some.
Strange Darling screened as part of Frightfest 2024.
Bloody Flicks 
This film is very misogynistic and problematic. The message of it seems to be women are the problem and shouldn’t be trusted. They lie about being assaulted and only men can see the truth. Oh and it’s a Miramax film, how convenient for the Weinsteins.
A movie shouldn’t have to tell you it’s shot entirely on 35mm film. A movie shouldn’t have to sell itself by a C lister scientologist famous for being Phoebes brother in friends 20+ years ago being the cinematographer. If he was a noted cinematographer already that’s one thing, but it’s just trying to use his name.
It’s like the director watched a Tarantino movie and thought ‘I can do that’.
The only saving grace is Ed Begley Jr and Barbara Hershey are wonderful. I’d have preferred a movie about their characters instead.
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my only gripe was cops acting like idiots.
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