TORN HEARTS: The Pursuit Of Fame Is A Bloody Affair
A Katey Sagal and Brea Grant collaboration within a horror-country music scene? Sounds wild and amazing. Sign me up!
Torn Hearts is Grant‘s newest, working with screenwriter Rachel Koller Croft and an excellent female-led cast to develop a fun, campy, psychological nightmare of a circumstance for anyone striving for country gold. Torn Hearts shows that the music industry can be killer.
Jordan (Abby Quinn) and Leigh (Alexxis Lemire) are the young, talented rising country stars, of the duo: Torn Hearts. They are searching for their big break, and their manager, also Leigh’s boyfriend (Joshua Leonard), guides them to fellow talent Caleb Crawford (Shiloh Fernandez) who eventually gives them the shot they are looking for, but wasn’t expecting: the address of their idol. The “shot” ends up being much more of a hit than they could have ever anticipated.
Be Careful What You Wish For
The two girls take the chance and visit their hero, the surviving member of the Duchess sisters, Harper Dutch (Katey Sagal). Harper has become a recluse since the death of her sister and resides alone in her Southern Home. What could go wrong? When you have a chance you take it, right? Well, Harper has different plans once these best friends land on her doorstep. When she witnesses their capabilities, and the eerie similarities between her sister and her own work, she begins her twisted, manipulative plot.
Jordan is more of the writing/musical talent, while Leigh the charismatic frontwoman. As Harper gets her manicured claws deeper within these two, she begins breaking down their barriers and getting to the root of their intentions. The story moves from cordial glasses of whiskey to pink shotguns and hidden rooms fairly fast, but Grant uses her confidence as a director to guide the story in a way that makes each minute felt, and with terrific cinematography by Yaron Levy, this plays like the big time, even within its small roots.
There is some terrific original music throughout, and all three of our female stars have the talent to sell it. Sagal is wonderfully twisted, the standout in this twangy terror ride. For the majority of the movie, she’s on the cusp of snapping and boiling over. As soon as the shiny duo ask to record a song with the legend, complete with a rhubarb pie and glitzy sequins, she’s scalding water, waking these two up with her simmering volatility. The music industry, like many entertainment areas, can be a cutthroat one. Sagal starts like their spirit guide but eventually turns into their entry into hell.
Even when these starlets begin to suspect there’s more going on, it doesn’t completely deter them. What’s really fascinating about Rachel Koller Croft‘s script is that it allows for moments of humor, a pause within the steady build of psychological horror that builds as Harper plays with these two aspiring talents. At first, it is her brief frustrations, little outbursts, and the constant nerve-wracking tapping on her glass of whiskey that point to the cracks in her facade. As Sagal plays into this, luring these two girls to prey on one another, she finds her opportunity and does not hold back. These are some complex women, caught in a tangled web, and the battling dialogue and unique tension make for an intriguing fit. While sinister, it is also just a really entertaining, playful time as Grant chooses wisely with her next feature, again showing how much of a presence she has within the filmmaking world, and how when it comes to horror, there’s always more to see.
Speaking of the world: the production design, music, and costuming are all top-notch. It allows us to fall into this house of horrors easily and willingly – even when it gets uncomfortable, it sure looks and sounds good! Our three combating country stars are all a thrill to watch, even as their walls come down, and the fists start flying. There are a few moments where the story hits a blunder or two, easing into predictable territory, but for the most part, it keeps its rhythm as the story and its cast hit each vicious, delightful, key. This is a business that can be selfish and messy and Grant leans into this in a brutal female masterstroke.
Conclusion:
An intriguing premise set in a world that doesn’t get its due in the horror game, guided in the confident, talented hands of Brea Grant, with an especially standout and savage performance from Katey Sagal, Torn Hearts shows that the price of stardom may just be signed with blood.
Did you see Torn Hearts? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Torn Hearts is available digitally on May 20th from Blumhouse Television and EPIX
Check out an interview with director Brea Grant about the film here.
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