When discussing Daniel Radcliffe and his career in the industry, the 2013 dark fantasy mystery horror comedy Horns might not be the first thing that people might immediately recall. Based on a 2010 novel by Joe Hill, the movie could only manage to collect over $3.9 million. However, despite the movie’s underwhelming performance at the box office, the Black Phone author claims that Daniel Radcliffe actually saved him with Horns.
$161 million grossing Black Phone author Joe Hill has a special place in his heart for Horns. Although the movie didn’t actually achieve success at the box office, it captured the essence of his novel.
Joe Hill expressed his gratitude for Daniel Radcliffe
Since Horns, there have been multiple projects based on Joe Hill’s novels. May it be the movie In the Tall Grass, or the TV series NOS4A2 and Locke & Key – it all started with Horns. Hence, during an interview where he was talking about The Black Phone, Hill expressed his gratitude towards Daniel Radcliffe and Alexander Aja.
“I’ve been very lucky in terms of the adaptations in that I think everyone has approached them with good faith and love and energy, and that all of them have been pretty good. I’m especially grateful, I’ll always be grateful to Daniel Radcliffe and Alexandre Aja for making ‘Horns.’ I think if they didn’t make that film, probably none of these other films and TV shows happen, this tremendous leap of faith.”
According to Hill, Radcliffe and Aja’s dedication and commitment to the project have been a pivotal leap of faith for him. He felt that it was after this project, that he trusted filmmakers to materialize the world in his novels, resulting in the subsequent wave of adaptations.
Joe Hill opens up the dark side of success and Horns
Hill’s Horns revolves around the story of a young man, Ig Perrish, who has been accused of s*xual assault and murder. However, the story employed a supernatural twist with the introduction of supernatural horns that bring out people’s darkest confessions. While the narrative itself stemmed out of a place of despondency and unhappiness, the process of on-screen adaptation left the writer momentarily depressed.
“And afterwards, I got very depressed. And I mean, it’s so corny. It’s like, isn’t it a big cliche, right? It’s a cliche for a reason though. I mean, I couldn’t write anything. I couldn’t think of any good ideas, and I didn’t know how to do another novel, and my marriage broke up, and I was in this depressive tailspin and everything.”
However, as soon as he came to know that Daniel Radcliffe and Alexandre Aja had expressed their interest in adapting Horns for the screen, the external validation reshaped his perception of the book’s quality. The result of this optimism can be seen in the 2021 movie The Black Phone directed by Dr Strange fame filmmaker Scott Derickson.
Source: Slash Film
