Séduire la mort

I read a review that said do not read the reviews and go in to the theatre as blind as possible and that was great advice! I only saw the trailer one time. This was a beautifully shot 35 millimeter horror action thriller that is shown out of order for best shock and surprises, great lighting. Very well casted and acted. The action and gore FX, wardrobe, and car choices are all on point. I dont want to give anything away so will keep this review vague. Worth seeing in the theatre vs waiting to stream. This was far better than other recent horror films out including the lame Longlegs and the weird as hell Cuckoo movies. I highly recommend this film 8/10.

Strange Darling is a crazy film that will keep you guessing from beginning to end. You should definitely go in blind with this one to get the best experience and the most enjoyment out of it. Kyle Gallner was great in this movie. I always enjoy his work, I think he's one of the more underrated actors out there. Willa Fitzgerald steals the film with a show-stopping performance. JT Mollner did a fantastic job writing and directing, I'll look forward to seeing what he does next. This is a great original thriller that I would recommend. You will not be bored for one second. Not everything is what it seems.

Recently watched Strange Darling, and I have to admit, I was left feeling a bit disappointed. The premise-a one-night stand spiraling into a serial killer's murder spree-sounded thrilling, but unfortunately, I saw the twist coming too early, which really affected my enjoyment.

While I appreciate that many people praised the acting, I personally found it lacking. The performances didn't resonate with me the way I had hoped, and instead of drawing me into the story, they kept me at arm's length. I wanted to connect with the characters, but their portrayals fell flat for my taste.

Additionally, the pacing of the movie felt off. It seemed to drag on longer than necessary, making it hard for me to stay engaged. I found myself checking the time, which is never a good sign in a thriller. The buildup felt drawn out, and by the time the action picked up, I was already losing interest.

Overall, while Strage Darling had the potential for something gripping, the predictable twist and the pacing issues really detracted from my experience. I can see why some might enjoy it, but for me, it just didn't hit the mark.

I admit I was entertained for the duration of the film and the plot twist was fun....but it never feels like anything more than a B/C level 1990s Cinemax 2:00am type movie so the rave reviews are a bit puzzling to me. The actress who plays the main character is phenomenal though. She's completely electrifying and the final scene (I won't give anything away) her acting is award worthy. Maybe she won awards, I don't know, I've never heard of her before but she's good enough that I immediately googled her name as soon as it went off to see what I've missed. The woman is a phenomenal actress. Very entertaining film but the low budget is unfortunately a bit too obvious.

I really like Willa Fitzgerald, she was so great as deputy Roscoe in the first season (2022) of "Reacher". ("Don't worry, I won't kick your a$$, unless you make me.") Here she is just The Lady. She is the strong point, she makes this movie worth watching.

Aside from that I can't understand why this movie has even an average of 7 rating. That seems high when you think about what the movie really is. The opening states something about a serial killer in 2018 through 2022. Then the story we see has a man and woman in a car chase through the rural forests of Oregon (we can see Mt. Hood in the distance), he shoots, the car overturns, she in her bright red clothes runs. We have no idea why this is happening and, frankly, it reminded me in quality of the home movies I made in the 1980s with a portable VCR where kids were in a bike chase.

So, what they did is edit the film to depict it in six chapters, but we are shown them out of order. We eventually see why the woman is wearing what she is and why the man is chasing her.

Ultimately the whole movie, while it has some interesting moments, just isn't very entertaining nor very memorable.

I could not recommend it to anyone.