REVIEW: Strange Darling (2024)

By Stephen Pytak

Many moons ago - I think it was 1986 - film historian John McCarty wrote the book "Psychos: Eighty Years of Mad Movies, Maniacs, and Murderous Deeds."

Published by St. Martin's Press, New York, it was an in depth look at screen psychos in more than 400 films including Night Must Fall, Peeping Tom, Helter Skelter, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Star 80.

If you're a fan of the horror genre and haven't read it, I strongly recommend it. 

Anyway, while watching Strange Darling (2024) in a theater on a hot August night, I thought about the collection of maniacs McCarty wrote about in his book. 

They're not all the same. Some wear masks. Some don't. Some try to act normal. Some come off completely normal. Some are so far out that they look and act like they're from another dimension.

And every once in a while, you come across a psychopath in a thriller who is so unique, that he, she or...it...stands out from the pack.

I was really impressed with the one at the center of this modern noir thriller.

No, I won't say who, or what, kind of killer it is. I'm sure there are reviews online which will reveal the unique twists and turns of this modern classic. 

See, I really like this film. And I think folks who dig on these kind of flicks should seek out Strange Darling (2024), buy a ticket and take the ride.

I will reveal a few things, however. 

It's a story told in six parts (seven if you count an epilogue). The leads are Kyle Gallner as "The Demon" and Willa Fitzgerald as "The Lady." The two are strangers who hook up for what appears to be a one-night stand. Eventually, we find out that nothing is as it appears. And on top of that the chapters of this thriller are not presented in order.

The direction is solid. The storytelling is too. And the actors do some excellent work, in particular Willa Fitzgerald. At times she pushes herself to the brink, the way Marilyn Burns did when she portrayed "Sally" in Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Actually, the film pays homage to Hooper's classic in a few ways. At the start of the film, for example, there's an introductory narration and intertitles describing a series of crimes. The original songs by Z BERG are cool. And the ending is a knockout.

Willa Fitzgerald in Strange Darling (2024). Copyright Miramax 2024.


It's not every day we see a really great character worthy of joining the pantheon of psychos in cinema. But this year there were some interesting ones.

I really liked Nicholas Cage's performance in Longlegs (2024). It's worth a look. I didn't review that film, but I'd give it three and a half stars out of five.

M. Night Shyamalan's Trap (2024) is a fun romp, a chance for Shyamalan to showcase the talents of his daughter - singer, songwriter and actress Saleka - while allowing Josh Hartnett to chew the scenery as a serial killer named "Cooper." I had fun. And I'd give it three and a half stars out of five.

Another film released this year about a person with a personality disorder characterized by a lack of judgement or emotional control was Robert Morgan's Stopmotion (2023). It's about a stop-motion animator so obsessed with her latest project that she loses her grip on reality. It's very cool and worth a look. I'd also give that three and a half stars out of five.

One psycho film I was looking forward to this year was the third entry in Ti West's X trilogy, MaXXXine (2024). I thought about writing a review of that, but I was too depressed. For me, it was a crushing disappointment.

I gave it two and a half stars out of five. While it had a great look, a few really fun scenes and some really cool homages to other classic horror films, the theatrical cut of MaXXXine (2024) was rather soulless. It was hoping for so much more out of the title character. Mia Goth is a great actress! Unfortunately, the script, or whatever happened in the editing room, didn't give her a chance to prove it.

Strange Darling (2024) isn't a film I was looking forward to. Heck, I didn't know it was out there until a few weeks ago. I heard some good things about it and decided to check it out at a late show. And I'm really glad I did.

So will Strange Darling the best psycho film of 2024?

James McAvoy and the Joker may have something to say about that.


RATING (On a scale of 1 to 5): 4




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