Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Bones and All’ Is A Romantic Horror Film Based On A Novel

Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All is a romantic horror film based on a novel which explores cannibalism and mythology in American Gothic style with unexpected turns rooted in rigorous character drama. Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All is a cannibal road movie that explores the inner life of people on the fringe. Blending genre with psychological realism, this horror film fleshes out its mythology akin to vampires or werewolves. Guadagnino employs a poetic tone, shot through with humour and violence, making this body horror a lush, romantic feast. He has crafted a capable horror story with some excellent scary sequences, but it is so much more than just a thrilling ride in the car at night. This is a movie about growing up, about finding out who you are, about embracing your darkest impulses, and about what it means to be alive. Above all, this is the story of the body and its appetites.

Who is in the cast?

• Taylor Russell as Maren Yearly
• Timothée Chalamet as Lee
• Mark Rylance as Sully
• Michael Stuhlbarg as Jake
• André Holland as Leonard Yearly
• Chloë Sevigny as Janelle Kerns
• David Gordon Green as Brad
• Jessica Harper as Barbara Kerns
• Jake Horowitz, as Lance
• Anna Cobb as Kayla
• Kendle Coffey as Sherry

Release Date:

The film was set to be released on November 18, 2022 in the United States.

What is the film about? 

Bones and All is a multi-layered psychological horror film, advanced by its director’s attention to detail, arthouse style of camerawork and creating a gripping atmosphere. Yet it also transcends genre conventions, creating an unconventional romance between two characters who are at first sight seemingly unlike each other. In doing so, they manage to humanise their extreme circumstances and tell a story of longing and desire. This is not to say that Bones and All is free of plot. There is something going on with the girl’s mother, who has kept her daughter in a cage her whole life, forbidding her from leaving the house until she finds the right man. The girl embarks on a journey with Bones to find the man of her dreams, something she has never even seen before.

What makes this series exciting?

Bones and All is a very creative and unique film, with its own tone, cinematography (lots of long shots as well as close ups), and story which is linked by carefully worked out editing. It also has a gallery of wonderful performances and scenes. Bones and All is an original idea in the horror genre, involving crimes committed for sexual gratification.

Why should you watch this film? 

The sense of style and creativity shown in the film sets the tone for an intense and sensual journey that is both seductive and disturbing, if not necessarily thrilling. Likewise, this is a film to be watched with a group, over several sittings, because it deserves to be seen in full. It feels like Guadagnino has placed a lot of himself into this work: his love of horror films, his fascination with the female form (even as he also explores its dark side), but also all of his own experiences growing up. This is one of those films where you’ll really get all of the connections between character and events after it’s over.