508:" runs toward the camera in slow motion. Elaborating on the concept, Mollner stated: "I was drawn to the image of this final girl running through the woods. And I kept seeing that, and I knew it was a trope, except the way I saw it was there was dressing on the image that I saw, that that made it unique to me, the scrubs and the music and the frame rate, the slow motion I wanted to shoot, and the lens. I had this very stylized image in my head, but I wanted to make sure, beyond just style, there was some story here, or a unique side of a character we could show that we hadn't seen in other films, not just horror films, but films about people who are being pursued or in distress."
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that the homicide unit investigate before they free her, but Gale convinces him that the Lady should receive immediate medical attention. As the officers escort the Lady by car toward town, Genevieve appears along the road and flags them down, but the Lady shoots her before she can explain what happened. The Lady then forces Gale and Pete to give her their guns before ordering Gale out of the car. Pete drives the Lady further down the road before she has him stop so she can consider her next move. When Pete asks her why she kills, she tells him that she sometimes "doesn't see humans, just devils" before shooting him in the head.
376:, Frederick and Genevieve, who take her in. While Genevieve goes to retrieve medicine for the Lady, Frederick attempts to phone the police, but the Lady kills him and forces Genevieve outside. The Demon arrives on the property with his rifle. Genevieve seizes the opportunity to flee into the woods, while the Lady retreats back into the farmhouse and hides in a chest freezer. The Demon eventually finds her and shoots her in the arm, and handcuffs her to the chest before calling fellow sheriff Pete and his deputy, Gale, for backup. The Lady tells the Demon she had always hoped to die like
350:, a woman ("the Lady") meets a man ("the Demon") and the two go to a local motel to engage in a one-night stand. Prior to renting a room, the Lady explains to the Demon the risks women take engaging in such behavior, and makes him answer whether or not he is a serial killer. After he says no, the Lady agrees to proceed, and asks that she and the Demon engage in hyperrealistic
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to death, but he regains his faculties and manages to retrieve his concealed pistol and shoot her ear off. The Lady flees the motel in a stolen car after stabbing the desk clerk to death, and is pursued by the Demon in his truck. On a rural stretch of road, he shoots at the vehicle, causing her to crash and flee on foot into the woods.
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The Lady—in fact a prolific serial killer herself, deemed "the
Electric Lady" by the media—carves the initials of her moniker into the Demon's chest. While rifling through his belongings, she discovers a law enforcement badge, revealing that he is a police officer. The Lady prepares to stab the Demon
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Pete and Gale arrive at the house, and find the Lady lying handcuffed to the freezer with her pants pulled down. She claims the Demon, high on cocaine, kidnapped her and took her to the farmhouse to rape and murder her, unaware that the home was occupied. Pete is skeptical of the scene and insists
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The Lady stumbles on foot further down the road, when another woman driving a truck picks her up. When the Lady draws her pistol, the driver returns fire, shooting the Lady. The driver calls police from her cell phone, explaining she just shot a stranger in self-defense, and that she is going to
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An early access screening took place at select U.S. theaters on August 14, 2024, followed by an exclusive live-streamed
Questions and Answers session from the AMC Lincoln Square 13 Theater with writer-director Mollner, cinematographer Ribisi, and star Fitzgerald, moderated by
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similarly praised the film, writing: "Playing out in six, ingeniously scrambled chapters, this headlong thriller transforms a simple cat-and-mouse premise—and maybe even a toxic love story—into an impertinent rebuke to genre clichés and our own preprogrammed assumptions."
616:, 95% of 115 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "JT Mollner delivers a thrillingly unexpected and electric ride with two breakout performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner in
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lives up to its maddening moniker. In a summer movie season that’s been middling at best, this is a must-see—a feat of filmmaking so extraordinary you’ll wonder if it could ever truly be spoiled."
289:. Set in rural Oregon, the film focuses on a man and woman who engage in a one-night stand that devolves into a cat-and-mouse game of murder. It is divided into six narrative chapters arranged in
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praised the film's performances and Ribisi's cinematography, describing it as a "sleek thriller" and "a parable about preying on female trust and vulnerability." Jeannette
Catsoulis of
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As of
September 18, 2024, the film has grossed $ 3.4 million worldwide. In the United States and Canada, it earned $ 1.1 million from 1,135 theaters in its opening weekend.
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before engaging in intercourse, to which the Demon agrees. When the Lady begins acting cooly and denies the Demon sex, she reveals that she has in fact dosed him with
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bring her to the local hospital. As the driver continues down the road, the Lady looks on as she slowly loses consciousness and dies in the passenger seat.
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1027:"Buzzy Serial Killer Thriller 'Strange Darling', 'Between The Temples' With Jason Schwartzman & Carol Kane Test Indie Market – Specialty Preview"
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819:"'Strange Darling': Miramax Sets Cat & Mouse Thriller With Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey & Ed Begley Jr"
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767:""Blood on the Flower Bed" - JT Mollner & Giovanni Ribisi on Strange Darling & Making a Candy-Colored Nightmare"
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297:. The director has neither confirmed nor denied if the film is actually based on real events, saying "perhaps" it is.
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in which he pretends to be a murderer, and she his victim. After hours of roleplaying, the Lady insists the two use
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977:"Fantastic Fest Horror Hit 'Strange Darling' Lands Wide Theatrical Release From New Bob Yari Venture (EXCLUSIVE)"
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551:, who also has a cameo in the film, in 32 days and on a $ 4 million budget. Some photography took place in the
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acted as producers on the project. The film was shot on 35 mm film by the director of photography, actor
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order, and presented as a dramatization of the pinnacle of a serial killer's years-long murder spree in the
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796:"Flipping the Script on the Final Girl: A Conversation with 'Strange Darling' Writer-Director JT Mollner"
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1182:"'Strange Darling' Review: JT Mollner's Deconstructed Date Night Will Make You Love the Movies Again"
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628:, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
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869:"'Strange Darling' Review: Love Hurts in Electric Serial Killer Movie Shot by Giovanni Ribisi"
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area in the summer of 2022 with
Mollner working from his own script to direct a cast led by
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648:'s Alison Foreman awarded the film an A rating, concluding: "Electric and unforgettable,
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over several months, based on a visual idea he developed for the opening in which a "
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The film is presented in six chapters and an epilogue, arranged in a
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311:, marking his debut as a cinematographer. It premiered at the 2023
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919:"Reacher star's new movie debuts with 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating"
894:"Strange Darling Filmmakers on Bringing the Twisted Tale to Life"
843:"From Actor to Auteur: Strange Darling DP Giovanni Ribisi, pt. 1"
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583:. The film opened in Australia on August 22, 2024, followed by a
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U.S. theatrical release on 1,133 screens on August 23, 2024.
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The film had its world premiere on
September 22, 2023, at
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announced that filming on the project was underway in the
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The Lady stumbles upon the farmhouse of two eccentric
1002:"Strange Darling: Live Q&A Early Access Event"
339:fashion, outlining the final crimes of a prolific
327:. It received positive reviews from the critics.
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816:
575:acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.
307:on location in Oregon in the summer of 2022 by
817:D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 27, 2022).
323:in the United States on August 23, 2024, by
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1157:"'Strange Darling' Review: Assume Nothing"
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1313:Films about drug use in the United States
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739:"Strange Darling – Financial Information"
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867:Nordine, Michael (September 27, 2023).
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892:Cavanaugh, Patrick (August 19, 2024).
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1169:from the original on August 22, 2024.
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1039:from the original on August 24, 2024.
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1025:Goldsmith, Jill (August 23, 2024).
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1353:English-language independent films
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917:Warner, Sam (September 28, 2023).
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1131:Floyd, Thomas (August 23, 2024).
975:Donnelly, Matt (March 26, 2024).
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699:Strange Darling (2023)
543:, Steve Schneider and
481:as Art Pallone (voice)
455:Steven Michael Quezada
130:Christopher Robin Bell
573:Magenta Light Studios
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172:Magenta Light Studios
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1263:2020s American films
209: (United States)
1338:Films set in Oregon
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1258:2023 thriller films
1165:. August 22, 2024.
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1323:Films set in 2020
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1105:"Strange Darling"
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670:"Strange Darling"
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604:Critical response
571:. In March 2024,
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100:Kyle Gallner
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924:Digital Spy
744:The Numbers
492:Development
409:as the Lady
246:$ 4 million
59:Produced by
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852:August 25,
656:References
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596:Box office
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506:final girl
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487:Production
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305:35 mm film
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251:Box office
222:96 minutes
205:2024-08-23
190:2023-09-22
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1187:IndieWire
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958:0015-6914
646:IndieWire
591:Reception
346:In rural
337:nonlinear
291:nonlinear
146:companies
127:Edited by
1192:Archived
1167:Archived
1143:Archived
1037:Archived
1012:Archived
962:Archived
929:Archived
904:Archived
879:Archived
829:Archived
804:Archived
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567:held in
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445:as Tanya
433:as Steve
360:ketamine
235:Language
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88:Starring
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545:Roy Lee
517:Miramax
512:Filming
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451:as Beth
439:as Gale
356:cocaine
238:English
227:Country
203: (
188: (
155:Miramax
74:Roy Lee
956:
949:Forbes
371:hippie
285:, and
243:Budget
194: (
1222:IMDb
1118:2024
1091:2024
1064:2024
988:2024
954:ISSN
854:2024
778:2024
752:2024
718:2024
711:IMDb
535:and
400:Cast
331:Plot
1230:at
1220:at
771:CBR
620:."
315:in
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