The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is maybe a horror comedy, although it’s not very scary and only intermittently funny. The plot is based on a Greek myth, so it’s violent and revenge driven. Sure, there are horror elements – a creepy kid, a supernatural illness, and a young lady who just started menstruating. (That ketchup shot!) Colin Farrell is hairy and stilted. Nicole Kidman is frosty and opaque. Motifs appear and reappear: two watches, a lot of cigarette smoking, an obsession with body hair – not just Farrell’s, either. Everyone lies to one another and you’re left wondering why. The tension ratchets up for the first half, undercut by a score so laughably over the top that you’re not allowed to get too sucked in.