This has been a strong year for horror and thriller films. We’ve seen many different kinds of films with many different takes on the genre. Some of the best films have used twists on familiar tropes to offer something new.

That’s the case with Strange Darling, a new serial killer thriller from JT Mollner. The film is a tale told in six chapters, but the chapters aren’t told in order. That’s part of the twist that makes this take on the world unique.

In the film we’re introduced to The Lady (Willa Fitzgerald) and The Demon (Kyle Gallner) at the outset. But as the film makes clear, we’re dropped into the middle of the action. Can we trust what we’re seeing or what we think we know.

Soon, the story bounces back-and-forth between the two and their night, which starts with a meet cute of sorts, a proposal, and something of an agreement. Soon, the tables are flipped and we’re off to the races. Along the way we meet a mountain dwelling couple (Ed Begley, Jr., and Barbara Hershey), among others.

There are a few things that work well here. I enjoyed the way Mollner shot the film and the way he builds the tension through certain sequences. I liked the idea of a story in six chapters and rolling it out in non-sequential order helps to build toward some interesting reveals.

What also worked was the performances. Fitzgerald is good and quite compelling in the film. I also thought Gallner, Begley, and Hershey did a nice job in their roles. The cast buys into the world and the story and makes it memorable.

But the story itself doesn’t always land. The style of rolling it out helps make it more compelling but the script doesn’t do a lot to build up these characters, which sometimes leaves you with some more questions. I also felt the final 15 minutes or so was underwhelming compared to the way the film built prior to that sequence.

Strange Darling is clever with some good performances but fails to put all its elements together at the end.

Strange Darling is now playing nationwide.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.