I should have read the book first. Being a Joe Hill fan and Horns being one of the few works of his that I hadn’t read, I delayed watching the film adaptation with the intention of intaking the story in its original form first. Now, I probably won’t read it.
Horns is more of a black comedy until the last third of the movie or so, when it makes a half-assed effort to identify as horror. In fact, it’s hard to pin down what the filmmakers want it to be. There are genuinely hilarious scenes–especially in the first thirty minutes–that make the viewer think they’re watching a black comedy. But then you have dramatic scenes that are overly emotional and horror scenes that lack punch, and all the while you’re trying to figure out if there’s an actual mystery to be solved here or if you’re watching a psychological thriller. The filmmakers are trying to incorporate so many genres into one movie that you honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a space ship from Venus landed about halfway through and proceeded to get in a fire fight with a band of Apaches from 1842. These inconsistencies in style make it nearly impossible to be truly invested in the film.
And yet, parts of it will have you rolling on the floor with laughter.
After the murder of his girlfriend, Iggy (Daniel Radcliffe) sprouts horns from his head. Suddenly, anyone in Iggy’s presence has this ebullient desire to confess their sins and indulge their darkest desires. So, people express their wishes to fuck so-and-so or beat the shit out of a screaming kid or eat an entire box of donuts, and they all look to Iggy for some sort of blessing to carry-on with their wants. It’s pretty great.
Horns should have stuck with that narrative. Every time it breaks from the comedy the movie suffers. The love story doesn’t feel authentic. None of the characters are likable enough for drama or horror (if we’re supposed to be fearing for Iggy’s life, then he should probably have some redeemable qualities). And while there is seemingly a mystery to be solved, there is so little time spent actually trying to solve it that the audience is unable to be captivated by it. Like I said, I haven’t read the book, but I have to think Joe Hill’s version flows a lot better than this.
And don’t forget the dreadful abundance of CGI snakes. Ugh!
Horns is available to watch on Netflix and Amazon.