New twist-filled movie being hailed ‘biggest surprise of the year’ released in UK

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Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

An intriguing new film has finally been released in the UK – and it might just be the cult hit of the year.

In the same month that has seen the release of a Netflix thriller being called “one of the best films of 2024”, another film is about to drop that has received huge acclaim from those who have seen it overseas – including Star Wars director and Lost co-creator JJ Abrams.

The film is titled Strange Darling, and it’s been taking America by storm since its limited theatrical release in August.

Written and directed by JT Mollner, the horror thriller, shot on location in Oregon, is divided into six non-linear chapters and focuses on a liaison between a man and woman (played by Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald) that devolves into something more sinister.

To say any more would be to spoil the film’s surprises, but, among those who have seen the film, there have been a lot of questions about whether the story is true. Mollner has shied away from confirming either way, simply saying “perhaps” it might be.

The film, which premiered at Fantastic Fest in September 2023, has become a hit in the US, making $3.3m (£2.5m) domestically from a budget of just $4m (£3.1m). The film looks set to exceed this tally when it’s released elsewhere globally.

Reviews have been extremely positive, with the film amassing a score of 95 per cent on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. ABC News’s Peter Travers wrote: “Summer just saved its thrilling-est thriller for last. You won’t know what hit you,” while Fico Cangiano of CineXpress called the “twisty” film “one of the biggest surprises of the year”.

Another fan of the film is Abrams, who wrote on X/Twitter: “Name a better movie this year. It’s terrifying, hilarious, heartbreaking, sexy, and wild. A true cinematic thriller masterpiece. I lost my mind for Strange Darling.”

Fede Alvarez, the director of Alien: Romulus and the 2013 Evil Dead remake, added: “It’s been years since I saw a film with such a great twisty story! So good, so cool. Don’t miss this gem.”

Meanwhile, actor, producer and rapper Scott Mescudi, also known as Kid Cudi, hailed the film “a masterpiece”, writing: “Movies like this come every so often. As a fan of horror, I’ve never been this thrown by a horror movie before. I went in thinking one thing, and left knowing another.”

Strange Darling is in cinemas now.