Torn Hearts – Movie Review (4/5)

TORN HEARTS is a new horror movie with a country music twist. It’s from Blumhouse and directed by Brea Grant, so it’s already got plenty going for it from that. Also, it stars Katey Sagal, which is always more than enough reason to watch anything. Read our full Torn Hearts movie review here!

TORN HEARTS is a new horror movie from Blumhouse Television and EPIX, which is usually a good starting point for any horror fan. Also, it has a country music twist since it’s set in the Nashville Country Music scene. It might sound a bit strange, but it works brilliantly. Especially thanks to the cast, which is headlined by the magnificent Katey Sagal.

Officially, it’s a horror-thriller which does make sense. However, believe me when I say that there will be blood. Also, before we ever get that far, there are a lot of mind games that evoke a feeling of pure dread.

Continue reading our Torn Hearts movie review below and find it on digital from May 20, 2022.

The horror of getting to the top

We’ve seen similar plots of someone fighting to get to the top of their game. Whether it’s Wall Street or Neon Demon, to mention just two very different examples. Actually, the Netflix movie Velvet Buzzsaw is another example, which is set in the art world.

Many times, these stories are set in Hollywood (or the New York modeling scene) enough times. In that sense, this is something fresh and different. Especially because we’re talking about a horror thriller and not a drama.

Plus, let’s be real, the country music scene-setting is gorgeously kitsch in some ways. All of which is played up in this movie. Not in a bad or crude way that makes fun of country music. Quite the opposite. It’s the charm of a Southern diva (Katey Sagal) who knows she’s country music royalty. Well, okay, there’s more to it than that. But still, I’m just setting the stage here!

Watch it for Katey Sagal

The entire cast of Torn Hearts is simply brilliant, but I have to highlight Katey Sagal since she is the absolute star. Whether we’re talking Married with Children or Sons of Anarchy, I have always adored Katey Sagal for her brazen and tough (though also soft when necessary) style.

I also knew that she is an accomplished singer. However, I wasn’t aware that she had worked as a backup singer in country music. She was a backup singer for Tanya Tucker, to be specific. And yes, we do hear her singing in Torn Hearts and she sounds great (of course). Aside from singing, Katey Sagal is an awesome diva-type of character and has brilliant lines in this movie.

Starring alongside Katey Sagal is Alexxis Lemire and Abby Quinn. They have the band “Torn Hearts” and are struggling to move on from just playing at dive bars. Also, in key supporting roles we see Shiloh Fernandez (Deadgirl) as a country music star, and Joshua Leonard (Bliss), as a somewhat sleazy manager.

Watch Torn Hearts on digital now!

Brea Grant is the director of Torn Hearts and I’m always ready to watch anything she does (or stars in). Whenever she does something, the bar is set rather high. As a director, her previous feature film was 12 Hour Shift (2020) which starred Angela Bettis. She also wrote that particular movie while Torn Hearts was written by Rachel Koller Croft.

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Check out our review of Brea Grant’s 12 Hour Shift here >

If it wasn’t because of Brea Grant and Katey Sagal, I probably would have skipped this movie after watching the trailer. It simply does not do this film justice. The movie is much stronger and has a much higher production quality than what the trailer shows. I am so happy I watched this movie despite not liking the trailer since I adore the actual movie!

TORN HEARTS will be available for digital purchase on May 20, 2022, from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Details

Director: Brea Grant
Script: Rachel Koller Croft
Cast: Katey Sagal, Abby Quinn, Alexxis Lemire, Joshua Leonard. Shiloh Fernandez