Sightlines · reception
How Strange Darling was received
2024 · JT Mollner · Strange Darling on Sightlines
The arc
Premiered at Fantastic Fest 2023, then sat on the shelf for nearly a year before its August 2024 release — where word of mouth (and a Stephen King rave calling it 'a clever masterpiece') turned it into the sleeper thriller of the summer. Critics were near-unanimous; audiences have been arguing about it ever since.
What’s debated
The eternal Letterboxd fight: is its scrambled-chapter structure a brilliant trap or a gimmick propping up a thin story — and are its gender politics subversive or quietly regressive?
Its footprint
The proud opening title card announcing it was 'shot entirely on 35mm film' instantly became a film-Twitter punchline and Letterboxd review opener, riffed on far beyond the movie itself. Stephen King's tweet-blurb was so good the trailer was built around it.
Where it stands
A fast-rising cult object — the twisty 2024 thriller Letterboxd users dare each other to go into completely blind.
Did you know? The cinematography is by actor Giovanni Ribisi — Strange Darling is his debut as a director of photography, shot on 35mm, and he also produced the film.
Named by the director
- The Red Shoes (1948) — Mollner cited it as a touchstone for the film's bold, controlled use of color.
- Cries and Whispers (1972) — Named by Mollner as a reference for its saturated, expressive color palette — especially the reds.
- The Devils (1971) — Ken Russell's film was a declared visual reference point for the picture's vivid, vintage look.
- Dead Ringers (1988) — One of the films Mollner and Ribisi traded as a color and mood reference while developing the look.
- Blue Velvet (1986) — Cited by Mollner as an influence on the film's lurid color and tonal approach.
- Suspiria (1977) — Mollner named Argento's film as a visual reference for the saturated, dreamlike palette.
- Duel (1971) — Referenced by Mollner as an inspiration for the stripped-down pursuit-thriller tension.
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) — Cited by Mollner as a horror touchstone for the film's raw, grindhouse-inflected menace.