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The new teaser for Horns is ever so brief, but it captures the plight of its hero in a tiny snapshot. Ig Parrish (Daniel Radcliffe) is dealing with the fallout of his girlfriend (Juno Temple) being brutally murdered, and everyone suspects him as the coldblooded killer. They don’t have much basis for their accusations – he didn’t do it – save for the fact that after her death he started sprouting alarmingly devil-like horns from his head without any explanation. Yeah, you would probably start the angry mob, too, after finding out on Nancy Grace that that guy was her boyfriend.
The film, directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) adapted by Keith Bunin from the novel by Joe Hill, contains another major detail not mentioned in the teaser trailer: once Ig sprouts these strange horns, he can now also get everyone he encounters to be completely and utterly honest, even when he doesn’t want them to be that forthcoming. The horns are also a mind-control device, letting him easily manipulate the people who hate him so much into doing things out of their will. Ig didn’t kill Merrin, but the townspeople still have their pitchforks raised, wondering aloud if he has the “face of the devil.” Post-horns sprouting, are they correct?
The little glimpse we get is framed mostly around Ig’s treatment at the hands of his community. If the candlelight vigils and lingering merciless anger (on the front page of the paper, even) are any indication, Merrin’s death affected a lot of people in his town, and they’re not going to let go of the easiest suspect they have available. They clearly aren’t privy to his perfect summer day thoughts that seem lifted from another movie about teen romance, though. They’d probably lay off, then.
It’s worth it in the end for the shot of Ig, apparently having given up all niceties and fully embracing his new status as the possible Devil incarnate. What’s the point of having fully fledged horns like some kind of mythological beast if you’re not also going to dress like one of the vampires from a nineties music video? Guard that throne. There’s something sinister and great about his showdown with the snake on the road leading to it becoming his accessory as well. He’s really not playing around with that mind-control ability, is he?
Check out the trailer below:
Horns is hitting UK theaters on October 31st. We’re still waiting for a US release date at this time.
