DVD365.net

Horns

Tuesday 28th October 2014

Blamed for the murder of his girlfriend and ostracized by everyone he knows, a small-town guy awakens one morning to find he's grown a pair of horns. Armed with the supernatural powers they possess, he sets out to find the true killer.
Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Juno Temple, Kelli Garner, James Remar, Kathleen Quinlan, Heather Graham, David Morse, Michael Adamthwaite, Nels Lennarson, Don Thompson
Alexandre Aja
Alexandre Aja, Riza Aziz, Joe Gatta, Joe Hill, Joey McFarland
Unknown
2 hours 0 minutes
2013
March 16 2024 20:10:06
898
Thank you for supporting DVD365.net. When you order using the link(s) below we will earn commission. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases

After having worked in horror for the last ten years, I felt that I became too familiar with the genre's tropes and tricks and wanted to reinvent myself. It was only natural that my next film returned to the source of the genre- the gothic.

When I first read Joe Hill's cult novel, Horns - I was intrigued by his modern-American allegory and found the mixture of tones to be incredibly fresh. I was moved by the love-story, humoured by the satire and morbidly amused by his absurd portrayal of human nature.

Joe Hill used dark humour to expose a different kind of horror- through the motif of the double, the supernatural and the transgression of taboos. His Gothic fable exposes and reaffirms society's definition of normalcy and puts into question our modern addictions and contradictions. But what drew me most to the book was that it tapped into a universal mythology with a rock'n roll pop-culture edge. It was not just a parable about good vs. evil, but a supernatural thriller with a romantic quest at its heart.

Once Cathy Schulman from Mandalay brought me on board to direct, I spent months pouring over the book with our screenwriter Keith Bunin and worked in developing the screenplay in order to make it as true to the novel as we could. There were so many layers, motifs and symbols that we brought back into the script in order to make the film as rich as possible. I wanted to bring the biblical subtext in, but also stay true to the mixtures of tones- and keep the dark humour, the romance and the horror intact.

The story also spanned more than a decade in scope as it moved between Ig's childhood memories and the present day and it was important to me to keep the adolescent grunge years which spoke to the "Stand By Me" generation and payed homage to one of my biggest inspirations- Stephen King. As Joe Hill's novel garnered a cult following and became a phenomena around the world, I felt it was my duty to respect its most original elements and to stay true to the fanbase.

But the most important element in the book for me was the story of the devil as the fallen angel. Metaphorically Ig's character was living in an idyllic Garden of Eden with Merrin, until her murder, after which Ig awoke with horns protruding from his skull. He discovers that they have the power to get people to confess their darkest secrets and he uses these voiced temptations to piece together clues of Merrin's murder. Love is his motivation for redemption, but he needs a dash of the devil in order to obtain the truth.

In order to clear his name, he literally transforms into the devil and uses these confessions to unravel the mystery and plunges into the sinful depths of human nature of those around him. I found the story to be like a reversal of Frank Capra's A Wonderful Life, with an ode to David Lynch's Twin Peaks and a hint of the humour and tone of Fight Club.

When we began casting, I wanted to find an actor who could portray the dark and romantic side of the fallen angel - in other words, he had to be natural and charming with a pair of horns growing out of his head.

The design of the horns almost preceded the casting in a way and after researching the representation of the devil from Gustave Doré's engravings inInferno, Milton's Paradise Lost to Gérôme and Goya's 19th century paintings, I knew I wanted them to be organic and resemble a satyr or a ram.

Ig had to appeal to both genders in order to elicit compassion from them. As a result, Daniel Radcliffe became an obvious choice and happened to be a huge fan of the book as well. Ig's character was an iconic role to play with an extreme emotional arc and it gave Daniel and opportunity to spotlight a side few had seen from him.

He begins as a sensitive and unlikely hero, tarnished and defamed by society. As we flashback to Ig's younger self, we delve into the adolescent coming of age story that shaped who he has become today. But Ig has to overcome his innocence and embody the duality of sin and temptation with goodness.

The role of Ig morphs into a dark and refreshing take on the devil myth as he becomes both manipulative and charming in an unnerving way. Continually haunted by his loss, Ig desperately tries to reconcile his desire for normalcy, with his compulsion to tempt people around him. The most ordinary situations become tormenting for him, as he discovers the harrowing truth about what his loved ones think and reveals their every desire and frustration. It is a continual battle between good and evil, a roller-coaster ride that violates all expectations in a sardonic and yet heart-wrenching way.

In casting Merrin's character, we wanted an actress who would be able to embody the archetype of Eve. Merrin represents the first mythological woman in all her innate goodness, purity and light in an otherwise dark and macabre world. But while she appears delicate and her spirit drives Ig's quest to avenge her death - we discover a haunting altruism and armor hidden underneath to protect Ig from the loss and pain she endured after her mother's death.

Juno Temple had this dualism of beauty and strength. Playing the role of Merrin gave her not only an opportunity to play a sensual lead as an ingénue - but to contradict that with a modern realism. She anchors the film as Ig's muse and pushes Ig forward to fight for his first love.

The setting of the film was almost a character in and of itself and it was important to me to find the ideal location for our abundant forest and our metaphorical Garden of Eden. Vancouver had a grunge feel to it that felt in tune with the novel's references. I wanted to avoid the overused forests that other teen franchise films were shot in, so set out to find something unique. We spent weeks scouting in the mountains, parks and between glacial fjords to find our treehouse location.

We found one dense area that had the most incredible moss I've ever seen, which covered the paths, hung from the trees and was naturally overgrown. It almost looked like a set because it was too perfect.

Our production designer, Allan Cameron and I were sold and this became our treehouse location and the most important visual in the film, to which we would return to over and over again. It's where the characters of Ig and Merrin first make love as teenagers, where they find refuge from the world and finally where Merrin is murdered. Just as we began our shoot, the season transformed from summer to fall, which worked out perfectly to mirror our storyline. The idyllic childhood past was green and full of life, whereas the dark present was bleak, with the leaves beginning to lose colour and fall.

Gregory Crewdson's photography really inspired me, as a way to heighten the supernatural in the mundane. I wanted to recreate this façade of sublime nature and peace in rural America juxtaposed with a scene of death and disaster. We found the perfect blue-collar setting in a lumberjack town nestled between the mountains that gave the grit I was looking for. It also ended up to be an indirect homage to David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" which I loved and found many parallels with in our own story.

Despite the harsh truths that Horns paints, I wanted to echo the hyper-real stylized quality that I admired in Crewdson's work and so in order to achieve such a look we brought Frederick Elmes on board. As the cinematographer on Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart he definitely had a Lynchian influence and helped us find a new visual language to enhance the surreal aspect of our story.

Another character, perhaps even more important than the visual imagery is the music and sound of the film. It underscores the novel, as devil mythology is rich and pervasive in rock and roll history. It is not without coincidence that Ig's family is a family of musicians and that Terry is a trumpet player. (In fact the town name, Gideon is a reference to a trumpet-playing angel in the Bible).

Ig is a DJ and a black swan or outcast in a way that he cannot play an instrument but can only re-interpret, re-mix and connect us to a better past. As the independent music world has co-opted and assimilated the mainstream into its sound, we had to look to the classics, which are forever timeless.

And who better to accentuate the literary romanticism and defiance of the fallen angel than David Bowie, Marilyn Manson and the Pixies? As our story moves between teenage angst and adulthood, I wanted to appeal to the grunge aesthetic of adolescence and of my generation.

Kurt Cobain and Nirvana were a big influence on the film not only lyrically but stylistically as well. Kurt Cobain was himself a certain gothic icon of despair, addiction and self-dissolution, which many of the characters in the film represent. Terry's costume design draws heavily from Cobain's iconic grunge imagery, he even plays a Daniel Johnston song on his trumpet (who Cobain brought to the public's attention).

Just as rock and roll history is tainted with the musician's death wish, so does Ig's character embark on a dangerously destructive path to justice and in the end sacrifice himself for love. Literally and metaphorically "it's better to burn out than to fade away".

The music has a voice of its own in the film, both source and score. I wanted not only our visual world to have a dualistic gritty and magical feel, but the music as well. The source echoes the rock, the edge- and the score is a beautiful cross between Angelo Badalamenti and Philip Glass. My composer, Rob, is a musical genius - and he wrote something grandiose that is haunting, lyrical, nostalgic and classic at the same time. He really transports us to "dream of places where lovers have wings".

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, bring their unique sensibilities to a fresh version of a different Spider-Man Universe with Spider-Man: Into ...Read more
Bullet Train artwork

Bullet Train

DVDBDUHDNOTES
09/01/2023
In Bullet Train, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug's latest mission puts ...
Soul artwork

Soul

DVDBDUHDNOTES
09/03/2021
The Virtuoso artwork

The Virtuoso

DVDNOTES
14/06/2021
The Gunman artwork

The Gunman

DVDBDNOTES
04/12/2020
Black Swan artwork

Black Swan

DVDBDNOTES
23/11/2020
Animal Kingdom artwork

Animal Kingdom

DVDBDNOTES
23/11/2020
Dune: Part 2 artwork

Dune: Part 2

DVDBDUHD
05/03/2024
The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on Dune: Part Two, the next chapter of Frank Herbert's celebrated novel Dune, coming soon to DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Warner Home Video.
Too Good to Be True artwork

Too Good to Be True

DVDTV
06/03/2024
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: The Complete First Season artwork
Mean Girls artwork

Mean Girls

DVDBDUHD
13/03/2024
Mean Girls artwork

Mean Girls

LimitedSteelbookUHD
12/03/2024
The Crow artwork

The Crow

SteelbookUHD
08/03/2024
The Furious Five! You're so much bigger than your action figures! Except you, Mantis. You're about the same
Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Mean Streets

BDUHD15/01/2024122

Das Boot: Season 4

DVDBD05/02/2024119

The Blackening

DVDBD26/02/202486

Vigil: Series 2

DVDTV29/01/202447

The Tourist: Series 2

DVDBDTV05/02/202445

Wednesday: Season 1

DVDBDTV25/03/202438

John Wick: Chapter 4

DVDBDUHDNOTES24/03/2023170

65

DVDBDUHDNOTES10/03/202351

Star Trek: First Contact

DVD01/01/2000391

Contact

DVD01/01/2000293

The Simpsons: Season 16

DVDTV05/12/2013101

Witness Number 3

DVDTV23/07/202298
Get a free daily news update. DVD365.net works with the Amazon Alexa flash briefing skill