Discription
Horns (2013):
Summary:
Ig Perrish wakes up one morning to find horns growing out of his forehead and discovers that he now has the power to make people confess their darkest secrets and desires. As the prime suspect in the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Merrin Williams, Ig uses his newfound ability to uncover the truth behind her death and expose the real killer.
Plot:
The film opens a year after the horrific murder of Merrin Williams, the beloved girlfriend of Ig Perrish. The entire town of Gideon, Washington, believes Ig is responsible, and he is ostracized and tormented by the community. Still deeply in love with Merrin and desperate to clear his name, Ig spends the anniversary of her death drunk and grieving.
The next morning, Ig wakes up with a throbbing headache and discovers a pair of horns sprouting from his temples. He soon realizes that these horns have a bizarre effect on people: they compel them to reveal their most selfish, perverse, and hidden thoughts and desires. People around him lose their inhibitions, confessing their sins, lustful urges, and cruel intentions.
Initially horrified and confused, Ig gradually understands the potential of his strange affliction. He decides to use his horns to his advantage, embarking on a twisted quest to find Merrin's true killer. His primary suspect is Lee Tourneau, Merrin's childhood friend who always harbored a secret infatuation with her.
As Ig navigates the town with his increasingly prominent horns, he encounters a range of reactions, from fear and disgust to unsettling honesty. His own inner thoughts and memories of Merrin are also explored through flashbacks, revealing their loving relationship and the tragic circumstances leading up to her death. These flashbacks hint at secrets and complexities within their seemingly idyllic romance.
Ig confides in his childhood friend and lawyer, Warren Allgrove, who, under the influence of the horns, confesses his own dark secrets but remains a loyal ally. Ig also interacts with his deeply religious parents and his older brother, Terry, a heroin addict, all of whom are affected by the horns' truth-inducing power, revealing their own flaws and vulnerabilities.
As Ig delves deeper into his investigation, he revisits key locations and people connected to Merrin's life and death. He uses his horns to extract crucial information, piecing together a puzzle of jealousy, obsession, and hidden motives. His investigation leads him back to his and Merrin's childhood, revealing a traumatic event involving Lee and Merrin that foreshadows the later tragedy.
The film reveals that Lee Tourneau was indeed obsessed with Merrin and was present on the night of her murder. However, the truth is far more complex and disturbing than simple jealousy. Through a series of confessions induced by the horns, Ig uncovers the shocking reality: Lee witnessed Merrin's murder at the hands of Terry, Ig's own brother, who was driven by a twisted sense of misguided love and a desire to "protect" Ig from Merrin, whom he perceived as a corrupting influence.
The horns continue to grow and evolve, eventually granting Ig more demonic and powerful abilities, including pyrokinesis and a heightened resistance to injury. This transformation mirrors his descent into a darker, more vengeful state as he gets closer to the truth.
In a climactic confrontation, Ig confronts Terry, who, under the influence of the horns, fully confesses his heinous act and his warped motivations. A brutal and fiery battle ensues between the two brothers, culminating in Ig using his demonic powers to defeat and kill Terry.
In the aftermath, Ig, now fully transformed with serpentine features, chooses to relinquish his horns and their power, understanding that vengeance has not brought him peace. The final scenes show Ig visiting Merrin's grave, finally free from the burden of false accusation and the destructive power of his horns. He carries the bittersweet memory of their love and the tragic truth he uncovered.
Cast:
- Daniel Radcliffe as Ignatius "Ig" Perrish
- Juno Temple as Merrin Williams
- Max Minghella as Lee Tourneau
- Joe Anderson as Terry Perrish
- Kelli Garner as Glenna Shepherd
- James Remar as Derrick Perrish
- David Morse as Dale Williams
- Kathleen Quinlan as Lydia Perrish
- Michael Adamthwaite as Eric Hannity
- Christine Willes as Veronica
- Sabrina Carpenter as Young Merrin Williams
- Mitchell Kummen as Young Ig Perrish
Crew:
- Director: Alexandre Aja
- Screenplay by: Keith Bunin, based on the novel by Joe Hill
- Producers: Alexandre Aja, Cathy Schulman, Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland, Phyllis Laing
- Executive Producers: Joe Hill, Max Born, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Brad Fischer
- Cinematography: Fredrik Bäckar
- Film Editing: Gregory Plotkin
- Music by: Rob
- Production Design: Karim Hussain
- Casting by: Robin D. Cook
