¡QUÉ HORROR! 2018
Candidate #2
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER
(May 2017)
While Yorgos Lanthimos' Kynodontas (Dogtooth) was a ¡Qué horror! Auxiliary in 2011, his latest, The Killing of a Sacred Deer (again
co-written with Efthimis Filippou) pointedly veers into psychological horror
territory, as we bear disquieting witness to all the horrible things we are
capable of doing, not just behind the backs of the ones we love, but to the ones we love as well.
As
with Kynodontas, there is an odd
sense of absurd logic and terrible inevitability to the proceedings, as the privileged
Murphys, led by Steven and Anna (Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman) become prey
to machinations that threaten to tear their family apart.
There
is much here that is uncomfortable and disturbing to watch, but if your horror
veers away from your standard Hollywood creepy set pieces and jump scares, then
The Killing of a Sacred Deer comes
with a sparkling ¡Qué horror! recommendation.
XS:
For any Clueless fans out there, a borderline
unrecognizable Alicia Silverstone is excellent
here in her brief appearance.
(The Killing of a Sacred Deer OS’
courtesy of impawards.com.)
