Horns 2013

Bruce Ingram, Chicago Sun-Times: Horns is too long and too convoluted, and it doesn't take nearly as many risks as it might have, but in its off-kilter way it has something to say about humankind and the nature of evil. Read more

Sara Stewart, New York Post: The underlying crime at the heart of "Horns" ... is too grotesque - and graphic - to work with even the bleakest comedy. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: It is borderline unwatchable. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: What in the world is Mr. Radcliffe doing to himself in his post-Harry Potter movie career? Movies are supposed to be entertaining, and directors are supposed to protect their actors, not expose them to derision. Read more

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: Anyone could imagine the better, cleaner, more coherent 90-min. film at the core of Horns: the one about the physics of apparent demonic possession. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: Benefits from the helmer's twisted sensibility, but suffers from a case of overall silliness. Read more

Jesse Hassenger, AV Club: If its moments of Aja-ian archness blended better with the macabre sincerity that presumably comes from the source material, it might have provided a real autumnal chill. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: It's an interesting idea that loses steam as it gains gore. The development of the story is much better than the payoff. It's fun while it lasts. Read more

Peter Keough, Boston Globe: "Horns" shifts from nifty Gothic thriller to obvious but meaningless allegory. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: However crass and mean-spirited this 2013 fantasy gets, the handling of fairytale conventions is sincere, which gives the film an emotional weight. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Hill's book has its ardent admirers, but the mixture of black comedy, gore and biblical archetypes would be a hellish challenge for anybody to translate to film. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: "Horns" is a good-ideas-gone-wild movie that leaves the best of itself behind. Read more

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: It seems to have been made by people who couldn't decide if their film was a horror flick, a whodunit, or a Hellboy knockoff. Read more

Calum Marsh, Film.com: It's a shame that Aja's noncommittal attitude wins out over the tragic dimension of the story, because there could have been something more substantial here. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: While this all begins as a kind of supernatural black comedy ... the tone grows darker with each revelation. Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: The movie's anything-goes quality ends up deepening instead of torpedoing the narrative, as can sometimes happen in horror flicks. Read more

Amy Nicholson, L.A. Weekly: The producers were smart to cast Radcliffe, who's always had the air of a martyr. But Radcliffe wasn't smart to tell the producers yes. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: Will drive one to distraction with its histrionic acting, multipronged approach to storytelling and infernal attempts at social commentary. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: There are a couple of decent movies somewhere inside "Horns." But here's the real sin - Aja has no idea in hell of what they are. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Gauzily romantic flashbacks, ultradark comedy and religious iconography are all jumbled together, without sharpening into focus. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: There are so many red herrings and plot twists, such a dense barrage of flashbacks and quick cuts, that you may find yourself as rattled and breathless as Ig himself. Read more

Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com: Radcliffe, through his sheer presence and the piercing honesty of those big, blue eyes, makes this mixed-up material watchable. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Radcliffe looks ready to stretch beyond the black comedy into something grave and mysterious. Director Aja shuts him down - cold. Horns has style to burn, but there's no there there. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: The result is that a story with a couple of good ideas founders for lack of a third or fourth good idea. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Demented, twisted and at times gonzo humorous, "Horns" is shamelessly amusing. Read more

Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail: Campy-fun but pointless ... Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Strangely enough, in its thorough devotion to its premise, "Horns" winds up taking concepts of good and evil, god and the devil, and salvation and damnation more seriously than many of the so-called faith-based movies that have come out this year. Read more

Cath Clarke, Time Out: This patchy supernatural black comedy is Daniel Radcliffe's latest and least successful shot at putting distance between himself and the boy wizard. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Radcliffe gives it his all and makes the film worth seeing. But the supernatural story feels scattered. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: Horns juggles a lot of balls, and admirably keeps them in the air for longer than you might expect. But it doesn't know how to bring them down gently. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Heedless of purpose, "Horns" charges full speed ahead anyway, ramming its high-concept hooey down your throat until the only heat you feel is from indigestion. Read more