Strange Darling

Strange Darling
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJT Mollner
Written byJT Mollner
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGiovanni Ribisi
Edited byChristopher Robin Bell
Music byCraig DeLeon
Production
companies
Distributed byMagenta Light Studios
Release dates
  • September 22, 2023 (2023-09-22) (Fantastic Fest)
  • August 23, 2024 (2024-08-23) (United States)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4–10 million
Box office$4.8 million

Strange Darling is a 2023 American thriller film written and directed by JT Mollner and starring Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, and Ed Begley Jr. Set in rural Oregon, the film focuses on a man and woman who have a one-night stand that devolves into a cat-and-mouse game of murder. It is divided into six chapters in nonlinear order, and presented as a dramatization of the pinnacle of a serial killer's years-long murder spree in the Western United States.

Strange Darling was shot on location in Oregon in 2022 on 35 mm film by Giovanni Ribisi, marking his debut as a cinematographer. It premiered at the 2023 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 23, 2024, by Magenta Light Studios. It received critical acclaim for its direction, writing, suspenseful sequences, and twists; and for the performances of Fitzgerald and Gallner. It grossed $3.8 million at the box office on a budget of $4–10 million.