19. The Neon Demon

19. THE NEON DEMON

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Release date: October 20, 2016

Nicolas Winding Refn refined his cool, detached, all-surface approach in The Neon Demon, a psychological horror movie filtered through the glossy pages of a high-end fashion magazine. The result is a provocative, impressionistic, sensory experience that stylishly eviscerates the LA fashion scene in a manner as brutal as David Lynch’s searing Hollywood roast, Mulholland Drive..

Elle Fanning is perfectly cast as 16-year-old, small-town doll Jesse, whose descent into degradation seems assured from the first time we see her on camera – posed in a glamorous mock murder scene, covered in blood and make-up. A fashion shoot. Jesse is the embodiment of flawlessness and youth – two commodities the glamorous fashion world worships – and it’s quickly apparent that her fellow models, many in their twilight years (mid-20s), would like to suck the life from her.

In a side role, Jena Malone steals the show as Ruby, a make-up artist who takes Jesse under her wing. Malone is fearless – and delivers 2016’s most shocking scene.