A non-linear structure raises and lowers the stakes in a thriller directed by JT Mollner and shot by actor Giovanni Ribisi

A serial killer thriller that is sliced and diced into six non-linear chapters, the retro-slasher Strange Darling doesn’t hide its twist quite as effectively as it thinks it does. It all starts with a kinky one-night stand between characters introduced to us, through onscreen titles, as the Lady (Willa Fitzgerald, excellent) and the Demon (Kyle Gallner). But we know the date doesn’t go according to plan because we’ve already witnessed a car chase in which a desperate Lady flees her relentless pursuer.

The teasing, tricky structure adds intrigue to a fairly rudimentary horror premise and the cinematography – actor Giovanni Ribisi steps behind the camera as the DOP – is suitably strident, with reds and yellows screaming from the screen.

In UK and Irish cinemas