Bloody Disgusting’s Torn Hearts review is spoiler-free.
The music genre most often explored in horror is fellow outcast rock ‘n roll or metal, but director Brea Grant makes a strong case for country music’s inclusion in the horror space. Torn Hearts combines country’s frequent themes of love and loss with horror’s twisted pursuit of fame, delivering a mean thriller anchored by one playfully unhinged performance by Katey Sagal.
Jordan (Abby Quinn) and Leigh (Alexxis Lemire) are the Torn Hearts, a talented country duo looking for their big break. According to Leigh’s boyfriend turned Torn Hearts manager (Unsane’s Joshua Leonard), they’re already on their way. But when Jordan gets a hot tip to the legendary and reclusive Harper Dutch’s (Sagal) location, the Torn Hearts skip the studio and head to her mansion, hoping to convince the country music icon to record a song with them. Harper invites the pair inside, vowing to help the aspiring starlets, yet traps them in a twisted series of tests and torment that’ll reveal deceptive motives.
Grant, working from a script by Rachel Koller Croft, maintains a brisk, straightforward pace while submersing viewers into the callous, cutthroat world of the music industry. The music is infectious and well-produced; the Torn Hearts engender rooting interest from their first performance. From there, subtle cues signal that the road to stardom is paved with treachery. They’re surrounded by those that seem well-intentioned but might hide a lecherous nature behind the smiles and platitudes.
Then there’s Harper, a stark contrast to the bubbly newcomers. Harper’s industry savvy means she’s wise to the early pitfalls Jordan and Leigh find themselves discovering. Harper’s experience also means she’s now a profoundly paranoid, heavy drinker with a tragic past. She’s also got an agenda of her own, creating a unique battle of wills. Sagal’s performance as the volatile Harper steals the show; the actor toggles between a benevolent mess and sadistic mastermind with ease. It makes her psychological games with Jordan and Leigh so unsettling while serving as a credible reason why they work harder to flee. Throw in their desperation for success, and it’s a pressure cooker constantly on the cusp of eruption.
While Grant doesn’t push the sadistic games too far until its explosive finale, the warped dynamics between the three leading women keep the momentum going. The more Jordan and Leigh succumb to Harper’s whims, the more the cracks between them reveal that deception is everywhere. Even when the aspiring starlets fall prey to predictable beats in their pursuit of fame, Grant’s dark sense of humor makes it easy to overlook. That it builds to an unpredictable finish, culminating in messaging that hits like a twist of the knife, is also to the film’s credit.
The pursuit of fame isn’t new territory in the genre; horror often highlights the gruesome toll it can take. Grant nestles a familiar conceit within a distinctly different world and dials in on a specific facet of stardom with pitch-black humor and psychological thrills. It’s a straightforward romp elevated by its music, worldbuilding, and a trio of solid leads. However, Sagal runs away with it thanks to a committed and unhinged performance.
Torn Hearts releases On Digital on May 20, 2022.
The post ‘Torn Hearts’ Review – Katey Sagal Shines in Brea Grant’s Playfully Unhinged Thriller appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.