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Horns

 Horns
type
TVTItem
 Horns
label
Horns
 Horns
page
horns
 Horns
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_content_3'); })Horns is a dark fantasy novel from 2010 and the second publication from American writer Joe Hill.One morning, Ignatius "Ig" Martin Perrish awakes with a massive hangover. Something that seems more and more common for him these days. Especially since the anniversary for the night his girlfriend and the light of his life, Merrin Williams, was brutally raped and murdered and her disfigured body was found tied to a cherry tree, is rapidly approaching. To his own horror, Ig was arrested for the crime. Though the charge against him was dropped, his name was never cleared, and most of the citizens in his hometown still believes that his rich and influential family protected him against his rightfully deserved punishment. Left by most of his friends and held at a distance by his family, Ig has felt trapped in what can only be his own personal hell.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_content_2'); })Maybe that is why, on this one particular morning, a pair of horns has sprouted from his temples.While first assuming the horns to be a mere hallucination, simply his addled brain's way of expressing the torment and sorrow he has felt, Ig soon discovers that they are indeed real as other people acknowledge their existence. But for some reason, their reaction to the prominent growths is strangely casual. What is even more weird is that all the people Ig meets seem compelled to freely confess their most depraved, perverted and violent urges and wishes to him. He also finds out that he has the power to influence them to act upon these urges, and is capable of reading a person's innermost secrets through physical contact. Ig soon realizes these powers could help him find Merrin's killer...A film adaptation made by Alexandre Aja, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Ig Perrish was released in 2014.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_content_1'); })
 Horns
fetched
2018-10-18T02:23:40Z
 Horns
parsed
2020-06-25T17:22:31Z
 Horns
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Horns / int_1869b4b1
type
UnreliableNarrator
 Horns / int_1869b4b1
comment
Unreliable Narrator: Lee Tourneau constantly misunderstands the actions of others, and has a vivid hallucination of becoming god-like.
 Horns / int_1869b4b1
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1.0
 Horns / int_1869b4b1
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 Horns
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Horns / int_1869b4b1
 Horns / int_19851b86
type
The Sociopath
 Horns / int_19851b86
comment
The Sociopath: Lee Tourneau. It's evident from his conversations with Ig when they were teenagers that there's something fundamentally broken in him, and the chapters told from his perspective make it abundantly clear. In his mother's one moment of lucidity, she calls him a package with nothing inside.
 Horns / int_19851b86
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1.0
 Horns / int_19851b86
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 Horns
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Horns / int_19851b86
 Horns / int_1dce4748
type
Power Limiter
 Horns / int_1dce4748
comment
Power Limiter: Merrin's cross shuts off the influence of Ig's horns.
 Horns / int_1dce4748
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1.0
 Horns / int_1dce4748
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1.0
 Horns
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Horns / int_1dce4748
 Horns / int_230d64
type
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
 Horns / int_230d64
comment
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Everybody, including Ig's parents and grandmother, believes Ig killed Merrin and that his family's money saved him from justice. His father bribed someone to destroy evidence, not realizing it actually would have proven Ig's innocence.
 Horns / int_230d64
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1.0
 Horns / int_230d64
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 Horns
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Horns / int_230d64
 Horns / int_25b7257f
type
Red Right Hand
 Horns / int_25b7257f
comment
Red Right Hand: Lee Tourneau has a damaged, filmy eye from a childhood accident.
 Horns / int_25b7257f
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1.0
 Horns / int_25b7257f
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 Horns
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Horns / int_25b7257f
 Horns / int_31add7fe
type
Out of the Inferno
 Horns / int_31add7fe
comment
Out of the Inferno: After being locked inside a burning car, Ig finds out that not only does fire not harm him, he is actively healed by it. His clothes do, however, react to high temperatures in the way you would expect.
 Horns / int_31add7fe
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1.0
 Horns / int_31add7fe
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 Horns
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Horns / int_31add7fe
 Horns / int_38f3321
type
Compelling Voice
 Horns / int_38f3321
comment
Compelling Voice: Sort of. Ig can make people do something they already want to do, even if it's something horrible that they've convinced themselves they don't want. However, he can't make people do something they have no interest in; Father Mould doesn't want to kill himself, and Eric doesn't want to not beat up Ig. He can also make people forget things but, again, they have to want to forget. Terry thinks that Ig can offer a deal, but the other person has to accept.
 Horns / int_38f3321
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_38f3321
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1.0
 Horns
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Horns / int_38f3321
 Horns / int_3b4a8714
type
Prongs of Poseidon
 Horns / int_3b4a8714
comment
Prongs of Poseidon: Ig hears a nearby commotion, and grabs the first weapon-like object in the ruined foundry without really seeing what it was. It turns out he grabbed a pitchfork.
 Horns / int_3b4a8714
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_3b4a8714
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1.0
 Horns
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Horns / int_3b4a8714
 Horns / int_3bebfcc0
type
Living Lie Detector
 Horns / int_3bebfcc0
comment
Living Lie Detector: Ig's horns compel people to confess their sins and their innermost thoughts once they see them. Lee Tourneau is the only person immune to their effect, because he has Merrin's cross. When Ig takes it, Lee can't shrug off Ig's power anymore.
 Horns / int_3bebfcc0
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1.0
 Horns / int_3bebfcc0
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 Horns
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Horns / int_3bebfcc0
 Horns / int_40cc0c7e
type
Bittersweet Ending
 Horns / int_40cc0c7e
comment
Bittersweet Ending: Ig is reunited with Merrin's spirit in some sort of afterlife, after avenging her death and clearing his own name. In the book, Ig removes Terry's memories of being involved in covering up Merrin's death, which had nearly driven him to suicide out of guilt. Terry plans to head to New York for a more fulfilling career, and shows mutual interest with Glenna.
 Horns / int_40cc0c7e
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1.0
 Horns / int_40cc0c7e
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 Horns
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Horns / int_40cc0c7e
 Horns / int_454b2f2b
type
Secretly Dying
 Horns / int_454b2f2b
comment
Secretly Dying: Merrin had late-stage breast cancer when she was murdered. The real irony was that she was rather hoping God would surprise her with a quick death, so she wouldn't have to choose between a slow death and suicide.
 Horns / int_454b2f2b
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1.0
 Horns / int_454b2f2b
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1.0
 Horns
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Horns / int_454b2f2b
 Horns / int_4782e60f
type
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk
 Horns / int_4782e60f
comment
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Lee Tourneau
 Horns / int_4782e60f
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1.0
 Horns / int_4782e60f
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 Horns
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Horns / int_4782e60f
 Horns / int_50ed1af4
type
Our Demons Are Different
 Horns / int_50ed1af4
comment
Our Demons Are Different: The catalyst for the plot is Ig spontaneously mutating into what appears to be a classic Christian devil with More Than Mind Control.
 Horns / int_50ed1af4
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1.0
 Horns / int_50ed1af4
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1.0
 Horns
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Horns / int_50ed1af4
 Horns / int_575fd5e2
type
Dark Is Not Evil
 Horns / int_575fd5e2
comment
Dark Is Not Evil: Ig becomes a classic demon in appearance and powers, but he's a friendly, if impish, man who comes to accept people's darker traits as a sign Humans Are Special, as they really aren't that bad.
 Horns / int_575fd5e2
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1.0
 Horns / int_575fd5e2
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1.0
 Horns
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Horns / int_575fd5e2
 Horns / int_60547993
type
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
 Horns / int_60547993
comment
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Ig eventually finds a letter from Merrin explaining their breakup. She's dying of the same kind of cancer that killed her sister, and decided to push him away to spare him the pain of watching her die slowly and horribly. She hopes he'd find another girl and move on before realizing the truth..
 Horns / int_60547993
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_60547993
featureConfidence
1.0
 Horns
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Horns / int_60547993
 Horns / int_609eb275
type
Satan Is Good
 Horns / int_609eb275
comment
Satan Is Good: Along with his God Is Evil moment, Ig argues that the devil is the only higher being who really accepts and loves humans for what they are, despite their flaws.
 Horns / int_609eb275
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_609eb275
featureConfidence
1.0
 Horns
hasFeature
Horns / int_609eb275
 Horns / int_6bda9a30
type
Meaningful Name
 Horns / int_6bda9a30
comment
Meaningful Name: Ignatius literally means "fiery one."
 Horns / int_6bda9a30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_6bda9a30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Horns
hasFeature
Horns / int_6bda9a30
 Horns / int_6e23669f
type
Antagonistic Offspring
 Horns / int_6e23669f
comment
Antagonistic Offspring: Lee Tourneau despises his mother and slowly tortures her as she dies of kidney failure.
 Horns / int_6e23669f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_6e23669f
featureConfidence
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 Horns
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Horns / int_6e23669f
 Horns / int_729c69f3
type
Politically Incorrect Villain
 Horns / int_729c69f3
comment
Politically Incorrect Villain: Lee Tourneau frequently expresses racist and sexist thoughts in his narration, and internally refers to all Asians as 'slants'.
 Horns / int_729c69f3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_729c69f3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Horns
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Horns / int_729c69f3
 Horns / int_77473d35
type
God Is Evil
 Horns / int_77473d35
comment
God Is Evil: Ig concludes that the reason why God allowed Merrin to be raped and killed is because he is actually not very fond of humans, and detests women in particular, because they, like him, can create life and also because they can redefine love as they see fit. He also compares him to a gangster, only offering his protection in exchange for blind faith and worship.
 Horns / int_77473d35
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_77473d35
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 Horns
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Horns / int_77473d35
 Horns / int_7870735b
type
From Bad to Worse
 Horns / int_7870735b
comment
From Bad to Worse: After his horns have caused his grandmother, mother, and father to confess many horrible secrets to him, Ig already believes that he has heard the worst, and when he runs into his brother, Terry, he doesn't believe that he will be able to blurt out anything worse than what he just heard, and tells him to get it over with. Terry then tearfully tells him that he knows that Lee Tourneau killed Merrin, which reduces Ig to a screaming mess for a couple of minutes.
 Horns / int_7870735b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_7870735b
featureConfidence
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 Horns
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Horns / int_7870735b
 Horns / int_7aa858c1
type
Consummate Liar
 Horns / int_7aa858c1
comment
Consummate Liar: Lee Tourneau
 Horns / int_7aa858c1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_7aa858c1
featureConfidence
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 Horns
hasFeature
Horns / int_7aa858c1
 Horns / int_7c9dcc1
type
THeUnfavorite
 Horns / int_7c9dcc1
comment
The Unfavorite: Ig is very well aware that his parents don't like him as much as Terry, and knows that his father in particular is disappointed in him because he was unable to uphold the family tradition of playing the trumpet, but he first realizes the full extent of their dislike when his horns start working on them.
 Horns / int_7c9dcc1
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 Horns / int_7c9dcc1
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 Horns
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Horns / int_7c9dcc1
 Horns / int_86b34ecf
type
"Leave Your Quest" Test
 Horns / int_86b34ecf
comment
"Leave Your Quest" Test: Towards the end of the novel, Glenna finds Ig and tries to convince him to come back home with her, going back to the way things were before the start of the novel. Ig realises that as long as he keeps wearing Merrin's cross, he can actually do just that... but instead, he gently tells her that not only did he hate the way things were, but she deserves much better than what he was giving her. Glenna leaves to make some changes in her life and try to be less of a perpetual Love Martyr, and Ig goes back to preparing for his final confrontation with Lee.
 Horns / int_86b34ecf
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1.0
 Horns / int_86b34ecf
featureConfidence
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 Horns
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Horns / int_86b34ecf
 Horns / int_86ba007a
type
Bad Powers, Good People
 Horns / int_86ba007a
comment
Bad Powers, Good People: Ig grows horns, controls snakes, and literally brings out the worst in people, but he uses these to find and punish Merrin's killer, and helps a few innocent people along the way.
 Horns / int_86ba007a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_86ba007a
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 Horns
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Horns / int_86ba007a
 Horns / int_90d44f44
type
Karmic Death
 Horns / int_90d44f44
comment
Karmic Death: Lee dies choking on a snake, similar to how he strangled Merrin.
 Horns / int_90d44f44
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_90d44f44
featureConfidence
1.0
 Horns
hasFeature
Horns / int_90d44f44
 Horns / int_991af300
type
Poke the Poodle
 Horns / int_991af300
comment
Poke the Poodle: Ig frequently forbids people affected by the horns from doing the really bad things they're thinking about, but incites them into performing lesser sins instead, in many cases ones that are likely to improve their lives. For instance, he tells a store clerk that he may not kill his Alzheimer-suffering wife and go off and live with his mistress. Instead, he is to put his Alzheimer-suffering wife in a nursing home and go off and live with his mistress.
 Horns / int_991af300
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_991af300
featureConfidence
1.0
 Horns
hasFeature
Horns / int_991af300
 Horns / int_9bbd4fca
type
Feed It with Fire
 Horns / int_9bbd4fca
comment
Feed It with Fire: Lee beats Ig to a pulp, locks him in his car and sets it on fire. Ig manages to release the parking brake and the car rolls into the river. When he climbs from the wreckage, he realizes that instead of burning him, being engulfed in flames actually healed him, to the point where it even cured his asthma.
 Horns / int_9bbd4fca
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_9bbd4fca
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 Horns
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Horns / int_9bbd4fca
 Horns / int_9bcd82c0
type
Took a Level in Badass
 Horns / int_9bcd82c0
comment
Took a Level in Badass: As Ig learns to control his new powers, he becomes almost unrecognizable compared with the pathetic mess he was at the start of the book.
 Horns / int_9bcd82c0
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 Horns / int_9bcd82c0
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 Horns
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Horns / int_9bcd82c0
 Horns / int_a5a3ae2b
type
Orifice Invasion
 Horns / int_a5a3ae2b
comment
Orifice Invasion: Ig sends a snake into Lee's open mouth during the climax.
 Horns / int_a5a3ae2b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_a5a3ae2b
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 Horns
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Horns / int_a5a3ae2b
 Horns / int_abdc0b3f
type
Held Gaze
 Horns / int_abdc0b3f
comment
Held Gaze: Merrin first catches Ig's attention in church by flashing light off her cross into his face so he'll look up and see her staring at him.
 Horns / int_abdc0b3f
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1.0
 Horns / int_abdc0b3f
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 Horns
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Horns / int_abdc0b3f
 Horns / int_b39b84ee
type
Fiery Coverup
 Horns / int_b39b84ee
comment
Fiery Coverup: Ig's father asked a CSI he knew to do something about the evidence of Merrin's murder. The CSI didn't actually work on the case or at the facility where the evidence was stored, but he half-believes the CSI set it on fire at his request.
 Horns / int_b39b84ee
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 Horns / int_b39b84ee
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 Horns
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Horns / int_b39b84ee
 Horns / int_b97c2cfb
type
Maybe Ever After
 Horns / int_b97c2cfb
comment
Maybe Ever After: It's strongly implied that Terry and Glenna will end up together.
 Horns / int_b97c2cfb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_b97c2cfb
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 Horns
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Horns / int_b97c2cfb
 Horns / int_beb9a361
type
Anti-Hero
 Horns / int_beb9a361
comment
Anti-Hero: Ig never loses the core goodness in his nature, but grows more and more demonic over the course of the story and more at ease with what he can do with the horns' powers.
 Horns / int_beb9a361
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_beb9a361
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 Horns
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Horns / int_beb9a361
 Horns / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Horns / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: To The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want", to the point where the final part is entitled "the Gospel According to Mick and Keith".
 Horns / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_c75df49a
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 Horns
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Horns / int_c75df49a
 Horns / int_d1814802
type
Big Red Devil
 Horns / int_d1814802
comment
Big Red Devil: Ig is turning into the classic image of Satan, starting with the horns. In time he's bald, red-skinned, sports a goatee, and even finds a pitchfork to brandish.
 Horns / int_d1814802
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_d1814802
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 Horns
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Horns / int_d1814802
 Horns / int_dc1761bd
type
A God Am I
 Horns / int_dc1761bd
comment
A God Am I: Lee Tourneau believes that he once, for just a brief moment, held the power of God, when it actually was the result of a light case of brain damage from landing on a pitchfork with the back of his head.
 Horns / int_dc1761bd
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 Horns / int_dc1761bd
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 Horns
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Horns / int_dc1761bd
 Horns / int_dc2912f
type
Armoured Closet Gay
 Horns / int_dc2912f
comment
Armoured Closet Gay: Those Two Bad Guys, Sturtz and Posada, the two police officers harassing Ig are actually both closeted homosexuals and unbeknownst to themselves deeply in love with each other. One of them confesses to Ig that he wants to blow the other while under the influence of the horns, and the other is very openly homophobic... so Ig tells the homophobe to beat on anyone that comes onto him and the other to just 'surprise' his partner. To Ig's surprise, instead of them getting into a fistfight, they're a couple when he next sees them.
 Horns / int_dc2912f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_dc2912f
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 Horns
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Horns / int_dc2912f
 Horns / int_e1ba59f3
type
Voice Changeling
 Horns / int_e1ba59f3
comment
Voice Changeling: One of Ig's later powers is mimicking the voices of others. He can do a perfectly convincing impersonation, even of someone whose voice he's never heard before, and even over the phone to someone well outside of his horns' normal range.
 Horns / int_e1ba59f3
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 Horns / int_e1ba59f3
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 Horns
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Horns / int_e1ba59f3
 Horns / int_e8e56799
type
Blue-and-Orange Morality
 Horns / int_e8e56799
comment
Blue and Orange Morality: The chapters from Lee Tourneau's viewpoint illustrate his psychopathy, his inability to understand those around him, and his efforts to feign humanity.
 Horns / int_e8e56799
featureApplicability
1.0
 Horns / int_e8e56799
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 Horns
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Horns / int_e8e56799
 Horns / int_ec40626
type
Love Martyr
 Horns / int_ec40626
comment
Love Martyr: Glenna is generous to a fault and wants nothing so much as a chance to make someone happy. Unfortunately, this has led her to have a string of boyfriends who all treated her like a doormat - Ig was arguably the best of the lot, and he barely cared about her at all. The final chapter hints that her fortunes may be improving, though.
 Horns / int_ec40626
featureApplicability
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 Horns / int_ec40626
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Horns / int_ec40626
 Horns / int_f6624c30
type
Together in Death
 Horns / int_f6624c30
comment
Together in Death: Ig and Merrin.
 Horns / int_f6624c30
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1.0
 Horns / int_f6624c30
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 Horns
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Horns / int_f6624c30
 Horns / int_f9c77812
type
Childhood Brain Damage
 Horns / int_f9c77812
comment
Childhood Brain Damage: Lee Tourneau got the back of his skull impaled by falling on a pitchfork as a child. It is heavily implied to be the reason why he is a remorseless psychopath.
 Horns / int_f9c77812
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 Horns / int_f9c77812
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Horns / int_f9c77812
 Horns / int_name
type
ItemName
 Horns / int_name
comment
 Horns / int_name
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 Horns / int_name
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Horns / int_name
 Horns / int_name
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Horns

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Horns
sameAs
Horns
 Horns
hasFeature
A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Ailment-Induced Cruelty / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Alcohol-Induced Bisexuality / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
American Literature (E to I) / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Beard of Evil / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Big Red Devil / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Devil's Pitchfork / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Horned Humanoid / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Inconveniently Vanishing Exonerating Evidence / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Omniscient Hero / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Orifice Invasion / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Rage Against the Heavens / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Southern Gothic Satan / int_58bea563
 Horns
hasFeature
Voice Changeling / int_58bea563