There are many genres Daniel Radcliffe’s new film “Horns” falls under, and a feel-good film is definitely not one of them.

In the dark-fantasy, crime thriller, Radcliffe plays Ignatius ‘Ig’ Perrish who is under investigation for the rape and murder of his longtime girlfriend, Merrin (played by Juno Temple). Everyone in their town believes he is guilty with the xception of his best friend and lawyer, Lee (played by Max Minghella).

Ig wakes up one morning with strange horns protruding from his forehead and he soon discovers the horns give him supernatural abilities, such as reading people’s deepest thoughts and seeing a person’s past when he touches them. He uses these abilities to find a way to clear his own name and to find Merrin’s real killer.

Based on Joe Hill’s 2010 novel, the script is a little dull. There are certain scenes that definitely keep you interested, but some of the middle scenes make you wish they would just get to the end already. The script is also predictable. While there was supposed to be a big reveal, it was fairly obvious to anyone who has ever seen an episode of Law and Order. However, there were one or two small plot twists that made the end more worth it.

The movie does not live up to the book and the director and writer seem to make it a more dumbed-down, more plot-oriented narrative. For example there are random voiceovers, which explain obvious plot points and do nothing for the film. When Ig first wakes up with his horns, the voiceover says “Everybody thought I was a devil…and now I looked the part” which is kind of a “well, duh” moment.

However, where the script is lacking, Radcliffe’s acting makes up for it. Radcliffe’s acting ability has grown quite a bit since his first appearance in the “Harry Potter” movies as the titular character and although it reflected in his last film, “Kill Your Darlings,” it really showed in this film.

His character is full of anguish and determination, as well as slowly losing his sense of morality as he tries to find the killer. Radcliffe plays this all perfectly, taking the viewer on his emotional turmoil-filled journey.
Another strong point of the film was the make-up. There is a specific scene where half of Radcliffe’s body is burnt to a crisp, black and red and gross. This was all make-up and the team did an amazing job and even made the burnt half of his body look like actual Satan.

There are a lot of religious undertones to the film with a lot of talk about God. One of the main props and points is a cross necklace that belonged to Merrin. Ig and Merrin first saw each other in a church and Merrin’s father was a pastor. Even though it does not come across as well on film, the book makes a big point of exploring the nature of evil and the theology of God vs. Satan and while the writers tried, it did not seem that way on screen.
The movie is a good watch even if it does have its dull moments. Horns is now in theaters or available on Amazon.

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