Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Horns Blu-ray Movie Review

Give the devil his due.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 30, 2014

Sometimes when you go through hell, the only way out is to walk deeper into the fire.

Inside every man is an angel and a devil, creatures of great ferocious strength capable of incredible feats of love or dastardly deeds of terror. Sometimes it takes both to make a man and lead him to towards his destiny. Horns, the filmed adaptation of the novel of the same name penned by Joe Hill, tells the story of a young man accused of murder and the "gift" he is given to help lead him to the true killer. The film's director, Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D), is no stranger to splatter-ific gore, and while his Horns certainly sees some intensely bloody moments, the film feels a bit more dramatically centered than the typical gore-fest, even if it's pushed forward by a strange combination of high novelty and recycled tripe. The film ranges from intensely interesting to ridiculously cliché, from mildly watchable to edge-of-seat entertaining. It's a shame it's as uneven as it is considering a world of opportunity to dig deep into interesting characters pushed by supernatural happenings who are ultimately driven by boring characteristics that wash away most of the novelty the film so gloriously constructs through much of its runtime.

Hook 'em horns!

Ig (Daniel Radcliffe) and his girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple) are madly in love. One night, she turns up dead in the woods and all fingers point at Ig. He denies the charges, of course, and has become something of a local media sensation. He's been let go from work and he's barely accepted at his favorite watering hole. He blames God for his devout girlfriend's death and soon begins growing horns out of his head. He's quick to learn that the horns grant him raw, unfiltered access to most everyone he meets. They say whatever is on their mind, regardless of any good or bad consequences that may follow. Now, armed with a weapon that any detective would kill for, he sets out to discover the truth about what happened that fateful night, even if it will cost him his revenge-set soul.

The "horny" joke that starts the film aside, Horns feels fairly tight and focused, secure in its topsy-turvy novel take on the classic whodunit formula, here with some added visual spice that sometimes helps the movie and sometimes hurts it. Early on, the movie builds up a quality sense of mystery, presenting the audience with not one but rather two questions to unfold, first the murderer's identity and second how and why the horns have appeared on poor Ig's head. It builds nicely but reveals begin to disappoint as the former is built on predictable contrivance and the latter, while it has some fun with the idea of people who speak freely in the horns' presence, manages to get a little convoluted and begins to feel more like an aesthetic representation of an idea that couldn't stand on its own merits, at least in the realm of film. Deeper below the surface, and as the film evolves through its final act, there are opportunities galore for interpretation into what the movie has to say about the ideas of fate, good and evil, life and love, and all sorts of superficially simple but inwardly much more complex ideas. The film is best at bringing them up rather than exploring them, hinting at them in both the visual and thematic realm but never fully making use of the themes as much more than a tool to propel the story to its conclusion, a conclusion that manages to twist things up a bit at several points and end just as the movie slyly promises in a critical scene leading up to the finale.

It's very well done from a technical perspective, and even if the movie is best at only tickling and suggesting, it does so with some style. Alexandre Aja brings to the film a commendable structure that plays freely and intensely at the same time without feeling forced or contrived. The picture enjoys some excellent visual effects and makeup work , which of course begins with the horns but evolves into significantly more as the film moves through its third act, all of which is defined by some high class effects work that seamlessly sells whatever illusion is necessary. While the cast isn't particularly enthralling -- most of the front-line and secondary players never quite feel like they're doing much to push the script's limits -- Daniel Radcliffe does sink his teeth rather deeply into a complex part that doesn't allow for much in the way of truly rich exploration but that does allow him to stretch to several extremes along his journey. He handles a difficult part well, difficult in part because of the necessary range of emotion and uncertainty and playful spite and legitimate hurt the character experiences and also difficult because there's never a real sense of firm development and evolution in the script beyond the good and evil overtones and the disappointing genre trope that comes to define much of the movie, not erasing the novelty but certainly holding it back further than the story, and all it gets right, deserves.

Horns Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Horns grows onto Blu-ray with a fantastic 1080p transfer. The digital source nearly replicates the feel of film, rarely appearing overly glossy, excessively flat, or in any way truly inorganic or sterile. Details are precise, whether woodland foliage (both day and night), facial lines and skin texture, clothing details, and even the horns prosthetic which reveals the intricate, terrifying details in excellent clarity across every close-up shot. Colors are rich and even with particular emphasis on the way red neon beautifully contrasts against darker nighttime backdrops in a few shots of the illuminated diner that plays a key role in the movie. A lengthy diffused flashback notwithstanding, the color palette is consistent and brilliantly natural. Skin tones appear accurate and black levels are satisfyingly deep and pure. The image shows no major signs of noise, banding, blockiness, or other maladies. Aside from a few softer edges this is a healthy, vibrant 1080p transfer from Anchor Bay.

Horns Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Horns arrives on Blu-ray with a confident and professional DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is commendably aggressive yet balanced and clear at the same time, with a healthy low end that brings a tangible heft to the stage. The music also flows into the rear speakers for a welcome surround experience. Atmospherics are excellent, whether gentle exteriors, slightly more aggressive interiors at a bar and a diner, or drenching rain falling in chapter nine. The track provides a few heavier directional-specific elements, such as when a motorcycle audibly zooms through speakers. Several action effects, in particular some heavy shotgun blasts and exploding cherry bombs, are delivered with sufficient heft and presence. Dialogue delivery is firm, lifelike, and focused in the center channel. This is a terrific sound presentation from Anchor Bay.

Horns Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All that's included is The Making of 'Horns' (1080p, 18:48), a basic overview piece that focuses on plot, the film's tone and its varied styles, casting, performances, sourcing the film from the original novel, visual effects, and working with snakes on the set.

Horns Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Horns will pull its audience in from the outset, pique one's curiosity as the story unfolds, and lose a good bit of its momentum when it becomes a hybrid of interesting novelty and dramatic cliché that fits the story but nevertheless feels out-of-place and wholly unimaginative. There's a brilliant story here, one with a world of dramatic interest and room for endless interpretation and discussion, but it devolves into a fairly routine little movie that's propped up by its angle. It's still a fascinating watch and the good does manage to outweigh the bad, but Horns is a classic case of a good movie that could have been so much more. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Horns features pristine video, excellent audio, and one supplement. Recommended.