Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A hopeful young starlet uncovers the ominous origins of the Hollywood elite and enters into a deadly agreement in exchange for fame and fortune.
Starry Eyes is a competent indie horror entry that taps into body-horror and Faustian-bargain territory with a Cronenbergian edge. The premise of Hollywood as a literal death cult is an evocative metaphor handled with some genuine menace, and the lead performance carries the film through its slower stretches. However, the plot follows a fairly predictable descent arc without major surprises, and the ending's gore-heavy finale feels more obligatory than earned, failing to fully capitalize on the dread built up earlier. Cinematography is workmanlike but occasionally stylish. Its novelty lies mainly in its unflinching commitment to body horror within the Hollywood-satire frame, though similar territory has been covered more distinctively elsewhere.