Horns

I never saw Horns during its premiere, and I was disappointed about that. The idea of exposing a person to brutal social pressure and mental suffering to such an extent that they are unable to bear it in a rational way and unwillingly transform into a supernatural being from another (dark) world was already masterfully portrayed by Bulgakov in "The Master and Margarita." In my opinion, such a concept has great potential, but the director and screenwriter managed to completely squander it through their hard work. In many comments, Daniel Radcliffe's involvement in the main role is discussed. Although his performance is not Oscar-worthy, it didn't bother me, and his presence eventually became one of the few positives that can be said about Horns. Horns could have been many things, ranging from dark fantasy to a horror comedy (let's remember how excellently The Witches of Eastwick turned out). Instead, Alexandre Aja created a didactic morality tale full of sentiment, permeated with religious symbolism, and using the most clichéd genre tropes. I could partially forgive him for that if he hadn't been so literal and pathetic, and if he had been more sophisticated and imaginative. This is a disappointment. Overall impression: 25%. (07/12/2021)

Very decent. Daniel Radcliffe's career is assured, here he only confirms his acting qualities. It's funny, entertaining, original and very clever. The ending is very spectacular, a perfect shot of a stick and a breathtaking scene with snakes, which is already a cult classic for me. It could have been shorter, but I still had a decent time. 75% (10/05/2014)

I burned the movie right after finishing the book that I was excited about, and I did well, as my enthusiasm for Horns multiplied. The plot is of course greatly truncated, simplified and adapted to the possibilities of film, which was inevitable, but Aja dealt with it excellently and managed to extract from the book everything necessary, added a lot of new material to it, and cooked us a delicious treat that proudly stands alongside the amazing book adaptation and has a lot to offer. The basic building blocks of Aja's previous films were mainly brutality and spectacular gore effects. There are few of them here, but when they do come, they are worth it. Even the CGI effects are very successful and do not overshadow, on the contrary, they are well incorporated into appropriate situations. When I noticed that Merrin is played by the blonde Juno Temple, I assumed that I wouldn't get that enchanting redhead as described in the book, but fortunately they dyed her red and she became exactly the beautiful Merrin as I imagined her. I don't blame Ig at all – falling in love with her at first sight is easy. I was a little disappointed that Lee's truly twisted, corrupted, and fake character was not shown better and more detailed, as it was in the book. I was looking forward to scenes of him torturing his dying mother for months, but unfortunately the creators decided to skip this part. They also shortened and simplified scenes from childhood. But that's just the way it is, the film's duration is not endless and cuts had to be made somewhere. Anyway, I am overwhelmingly enthusiastic. The film contains everything that was needed, even a scene with a snake crawling down the throat. This is how a great book adaptation into a movie should look like. Aja is a master! (05/20/2018)

Absolute psycho that often goes way over the top, but I enjoyed it more than part 1. The fact that it’s a sequel is capitalized upon and so everything is bigger, more explosive and the humor even crazier. Miller and Lord thrive on knick-knacks, antiracism and also... on male comradery. Awesome final credits. (10/11/2014)

Merrin becomes just a shadow of her book counterpart, and not even Juno Temple can save it. Daniel Radcliffe shows that he is a capable actor who is willing to shed his British accent to give everything to the role. He's more than bearable, and even though I initially thought he was a bad choice, I was ultimately satisfied. I was less satisfied with the excessive use of CGI effects and the fact that Alexandre Aja couldn't extract true horror from the book adaptation. (10/13/2014)