This teen gothic drama got no love at all in the theatres, and despite its no-name leads, muddled southern accents, and liberties taken from the books (which I haven't read), it's still achingly romantic with equal parts sass, lore, and sacrifice. Ethan, a southern gentleman and scholar, dreams of a life outside Gatlin, SC, but when he falls for the town's new social pariah, Lena, a "caster" who will almost certainly be claimed by the dark side on her eighteenth birthday, he is determined to save her soul through love. Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert's push-and-pull chemistry is remarkably sensual. Ehrenreich really shines as the squinty shucksidoodles Ethan, exhibiting folksy humor and revealing unexpected depth in the scene where Macon hexes him to plot out his disappointment of a future. Emmy Rossum is also a devilish vixen, especially in her claiming scene. Emma Thompson seems utterly out of place, seeming neither southern enough nor glamorous enough.

I strain to recall a movie where the hunky male lead was played by someone less hunky. Still, it was a fun movie with a coherent script and nice special effects.