Standing among a set of lights in what looks like a photography studio, a thousand yard stare, and blood dripping onto her dress actress Elle Fanning sets the stage for Neon Demon in this latest image from the Wild Bunch and Gaumant film companies.
From the press release: “The Neon Demon centers on an aspiring model who moves to Los Angeles where her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will go to any lengths to get what she has”. The next film from Danish art-house filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn of Drive and Only God Forgives fame, seems to step back to Los Angeles exploring the business of fame and beauty.
In his words Refn explains the birth of Neon Demon, “One morning I woke and realized I was both surrounded and dominated by women. Strangely, a sudden urge was planted in me to make a horror film about vicious beauty”. He went on to express his love for the energy and excitement of Los Angeles from his experience filming Drive.
Furthermore Amazon Studios has announced its financial backing for the film as well as purchasing the distribution rights for the film in the U.S. with the intention of releasing the film to theaters in Summer of 2016. Having watched many of Nicolas’ films it’s exciting to see what he gets up to, even when he (I would argue) stumbles in the case of Only God Forgives.
His intentions of making a horror film are deeply promising because of his expert attention to style and cinematic storytelling which made Drive and Bronson terrific, but as with any film the story needs to earn the stylistic approach Refn brings to his work and not overrun in indulgent spectacle. Neon Demon will also star Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee and Bella Heathcote.
#Peace.Love.NeonDemon
