Love hurts indeed…..

Much like The Wizard Of Oz, the film starts in black and white, before morphing slowly into a rapid rich flavour of colour, both films feel like a fairy-tale, but instead of a sing song along a yellow brick road, the first word uttered in this delightful dark and twisted tale that even the Brothers Grimm would be proud of, is “are you a serial killer?” and from that, the game begins.

Told in six chapters, all in the wrong order, much like if Tarantino himself is behind the camera, director and writer JT Mollner demands your attention from the off, that patience he asks for is duly rewarded, the pay-off absolutely satisfying, you may have seen this cat and mouse game, hundreds of times before, but its never been as better than this.

Having learnt her craft in the SCREAM TV series, Willa Fitzgerald should now be heading towards horror royalty, much like how the X franchise has transformed Mia Goth, her performance from the very first frame is so captivating, that you are simply memorised all the way until that memorable final moment, a role that screams “Hollywood calling card“, not just for her, but for all involved.

Playing “The Lady”, plot-wise its offering what appears to be a pretty basic one. Running towards us in slow-motion as The Demon an excellent Kyle Gallner, hunts her down, what we have is a final girl showdown but stretched for a full running time, with each chapter letting us the viewer in on how we got to this point, each layer revealing details that may surprise those watching.

Its best to go in knowing very little about STRANGE DARLING, hence this very vague review, but it offers an abundance of blood and mayhem that will delight those seeking full throttle carnage and while some of the twists and turns are not as fresh as you’d hoped, the performances alone and the chemistry between the both in which for the majority of the running time is a two-hander is what makes this, along with the vivid style – all shot in 35mm, by Giovanni Ribisi would you believe -one of the most talked about thrillers of 2024.

And to answer the question of the serial killer….nothing is more dangerous and deathly than the breakfast served up by Ed Begley Jr. and Barbara Hershey, in the middle of this film – High Cholesterol – yikess!

Rating: ★★★★☆