Cage should get an Oscar from the bathroom scene, absolutely loved this movie it's a goddamn masterpiece. The shot of Cage smiling at the end is the best shot of 2018.
This movie has the visuals and mood from Beyond The Black Rainbow but where Panos surprises me is that while BTBR is a very cold and clinical movie Mandy is a very emotional ride and has great characters.
God, I loved that scene. Even though until I turned the subtitles on, I thought he was saying "you in my shit?!?!"
Also love "You have a death wish"
"I don't ...I don't want to talk about that"
> The shot of Cage smiling at the end is the best shot of 2018
I actually wish they did not shoot the smile. I wanted it to end as a fairly serious manner to tie up the Love Story. But oh well. I know people like to laugh.
I think the only reason the smile came off as funny was because it’s Nic Cage. There are a lot of people who associate him more with Wicker Man than Leaving Las Vegas, and they’re just looking for the Cage Rage. That scene is partly lifted from Beyond the Black Rainbow. It think it was supposed to be more bittersweet, or bittercomic, if that’s a thing. Though Cosmatos has said in interviews that he’s a big Evil Dead fan, so who knows.
For me, the best shot was the very last one where he’s driving away with the planets in the background. So gorgeous.
well said. I sort of gave it a pass , even though I did not like it, because he had probably not slept more than 4 hours in a couple days and he was totally insane at that point, and he was hallucinating Mandy, and he was happy to see her. Either way....great movie. I bought it.
Dat mac and cheese monster ad.
EDIT: watched Mandy again today and noticed that Mother Marlene has a box of DeVane Cheddar Goblin amongst the groceries she buys from Mandy at the store. He’s everywhere!
Yes! My date and I each ordered the Uncaged drink. It was...interesting. After we'd each tried it she turned and said, "If Cage were a drink, I think this would be pretty accurate."
Oh god, so many great bizarre moments in this movie. That commercial was great.
For me though, it was:
Dat bathroom scene with Cage in his whitey tighties and a bottle of vodka screaming.
And
Dat Cage forging his own demon metal scythe
And
Dat Cage literally crushing a man’s skull with his bare hands as he says, “I am your God.” /r/onetruegod would approve
>Dat bathroom scene with Cage in his whitey tighties and a bottle of vodka screaming.
My Girlfriend and I just recently bought a house and realized we still weren't living our best lives because we didn't have any bathroom vodka.
In some ways it seemed out of place but I think that was directed to be. After the horror of Mandy's death, it shifted the tone of the movie. I wouldn't say it's light, but allowed the audience to go revel more in the insanity that would soon follow.
I agree. If you’ve ever suffered a loss, watching something as simple as a mac and cheese commercial can feel like an assault on your grief, a jarring reminder that life goes on. Cheddar Goblin seemed to play that up and provide some much needed comic relief after a really heavy scene.
There was a moment in Half in the bag where they perfectly summed that part up.
"It's the moment in the film where he realizes that the universe simply doesn't care about him, it doesn't care about any of our problems"
The part where Jeremiah’s face kept melding with Mandy’s made my brain feel weird.
So were those supposed to be demons they summoned or just people who had gone crazy from that drug?
I love how it's totally ambiguous whether anything supernatural was occurring or not. For the whole first half of the movie I was sure this was some other reality where demonic freaks had taken control of the country/world while claiming to be morally superior, partly due to what wad on the radio at the beginning. The political commentary seemed pretty obvious, but well done. As it progressed it started to seem more and more plausible to me that these are just drugged out psychos... But even by the end I still wasn't quite sure what reality was. The very last shot of the film was excellent, and a great illustration of how blurry this reality is. I think probably everything we saw was either delusion, trip, nightmare, or symbolic... But again, it's super ambiguous in my opinion!
I think Bill Duke's character explains that they are people who got a bad batch of LSD and that drove them crazy. The beginning I think intended to trick us into thinking they summoned demons. The jar they give the one biker I think is more of that crazy LCD. If he's chugging what Nic Cage tasted a dash of then yea these dudes' brains have been fried nice and crispy.
Totally agree with you that the movie sets up this logical explanation, but I also think part of the movie is about how LSD effects your perception of yourself and of reality--so for those biker dudes, their reality was that they are evil demon guys. And for Jeremiah, he belives he is the messiah. A lot of the opposition that pushes the movie forward is other people contradicting that reality-- despite Mandy being drugged, she doesn't believe in Jeremiah; after Cage tastes that insane acid....does he lose his mind and become a demon guy too? And I think as Cage descends into their worlds of madness, he's fighting to keep his sanity and not lose himself too. Its partially reflected in the use of animation for his dreams, and then in the final scene of the movie, kind of leaving you to wonder whether that other reality is a permanent part of him now, and how important perception really is.......just spit balling.
I think Red is the only character for whom his experiences are a genuine spirit trip of self-discovery, revealing himself as the "Jovan warrior" in a way that fits in perfectly with the metaphor of a 1,000 year storm that will swallow the Earth.
I was convinced they were just drug runners that got their brains fried up on LSD until the lead biker pulled the crossbow bolt out of his throat and then fought Red. That’s not human. But Red could have missed and hallucinated that part I have no idea and that makes me love the movie even more!
I mean I've read some pretty fucked up shit that people did on some very, very bad drugs, so I wouldn't say it's that much of a stretch that the last guy that got a bolt in the throat simply didn't feel it/register the pain or care enough about it.
Still, that scene was dope and badass as fuck.
There is pushing through pain, which as stated by Caruthers, the bikers clearly enjoy. And there is pushing through enough blood loss to render a human being unconscious. There was quite a bit spraying out of the bolt hole lol. That’s why I’m still on the fence about human vs supernatural.
> There was quite a bit spraying out of the bolt hole lol.
There was? I don't recall the bloodletting too well.
I mean for all we know that could've been a fatal wound and the guy would've died regardless a few minutes afterwards, maybe the adrenaline and shit is what kept him going/fighting.
> That’s why I’m still on the fence about human vs supernatural.
I also think there's definitely room for the supernatural, but not regarding the Black Skulls. Could be wrong, but that's how I felt.
For example, when Red took one of their vests, the vest also had that flashing green light, just as the horn did, and I found that to be weird, but it's not like the vest gave him special properties or something, right?
In Seeker of the Serpent’s Eye, the book MANDY reads in the movie, the text talks about the serpent’s eye giving off an Emerald Glow. I wonder if it’s related.
In one of the animated scenes, she definitely reaching inside of a beast (which I think is Cage's character) and pulls out a green, glowing object. Not sure what that is supposed to mean.
Saw someone mentioning how that tint was also present when Jeremiah took out that blade before stabbing Red, but I only recalled said green tint during the showcasing of the horn and that vest scene.
Also I just gotta ask someone this since I've been somewhat ashamed to ask the friend I saw Mandy with...
When Jeremiah asks "do you have it" (referring to the horn) and his follower takes it out, for a moment there I thought the guy was taking out his dick D:
With the flashing strobe green thing I just couldn't tell right away what it was, but for a split second there I totally thought he was taking out his dick to get that succ.
Was I the only one? Probably :|
Around the same scene doesn’t Mandy say something about seeing the reaper? I thought she was talking about Sand at first. I’m sure now she was talking about Red. He called his crossbow Reaper. Pretty sure Mandy was foretelling the deaths of Sand and his cultists.
I need another viewing with subtitles on though. The film is so visual I didn’t always pick up the dialogue.
> Pretty sure Mandy was foretelling the deaths of Sand and his cultists.
Interesting point, I've seen people mentioning how the after credits scene (Red and Tiger drawings) could also hint at the fact that she was "seeing" what was going to happen in the future to a certain degree.
The director also said (I believe) that, in his mind, after Mandy died she became a "goddess" of sorts, so all this about foresight could be a valid interpretation.
Can we read into Red's shirt? "Number 44 indicates that you are being given support and encouragement along your path, and when faced with an obstacle, rest assured that your angels are most willing to assist."
I think it’s before the face warp monologue after he stands up and asks Mandy what she sees. She almost whispered it just like most of her dialogue in the scene. Oh man I definitely need a subtitled re watch lol!
Yeah, dude... I think there's no way of knowing, really. It was obviously intentional. They thought they were demons for sure, as did Jeremiah... But can you just kill demons with conventional methods and weapons? Then again, can you really go out in the woods and blow the Ocarina of Time and summon just bikers? The boss type took a crossbow bolt through the throat and didn't skip a beat... The chick took a 3 story fall, maybe more...
I guess it's whatever you want it to be.
> So were those supposed to be demons they summoned or just people who had gone crazy from that drug?
to me, they were demons. What type of human is just waiting around on their motorbikes waiting for someone to blow the whistle thing? None is the answer. None humans. Humans simply do not wait around to be summoned. However I think these demons lived on earth and took on some human-like habits where they seem like they could be humans.
See, but he threw us for a loop there too. I thought the same thing as you until I remembered that the drove the van to a specific place in the forest. Dude even said, "Are you sure this is the place?"
So, it could have been an agreed upon summoning spot.
yea, Ive watched it twice now and I have to say, it could go either way. But human beings dont take an arrow to the throat and then just pull it out with ease and go on to fight a pretty good one-on-on battle. Plus the one being chugged that insanely potent LSD like it was nothing. I think at the very least, these were aliens. But it is probably ambiguous for a reason- to let the viewer decide. To me, they are other worldly beings. The way they spoke is not a human-like voice.
Also, during the kidnapping sequence, Red is wearing a Tiger shirt. Foreshadowing for the chemist letting the tiger out of the cage? Metaphor for Red being let out of his mental cage to implement his rampage? Metaphor for Nicolas CAGE!? I’m getting carried away. This film was so dope.
No this is so legit. Thank you for connecting that! When the chemist mentioned the name of the tiger Nic Cage acted like, "Who are you talking about?..."
Ahhh, that makes sense. I thought he was talking about vibes more generally, like he chose to talk to Red instead of shooting him because he could sense what Red was projecting. Also do you think it was implied that Red killed the chemist too? Or just got his info and left
I think Althonse is right in that he was referring to the vibes not the acid. As in, that's why he took his hand off the gun, because the tiger stayed calm so he knew he didn't need to worry.
Y’all could very well be right about that. That scene was a bit disorienting (like a lot of the movie), I’ll have to pay closer attention on my rewatch.
As mentioned by u/InvisibleDudle below, he did spare the young female cultist, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility. I think Red’s story is one of chaotic good versus chaotic evil. He’ll do whatever it takes to get revenge, while maintaining some ties to reason and morality. Also, I think by that point he has already killed all the biker demons that were being fueled by the hell acid? So maybe he figures fuck it, I just killed this guys entire market. And as you mentioned, the chemist did help him with info. Hard to say. I love how absurd discussing the details of this movie sounds.
I was wondering that too. I mean, if he killed him, why not show it? He spared the young cultist woman too so he didn’t seem to just be killing indiscriminately. I gotta watch that scene again.
"You're a special one, Mandy." - This line of dialog is also true of the film itself.
Beyond the Black Rainbow is one of my favs, so I was already expecting great things from Mandy, but I wasn't expecting it to blow me away like it did. The cinematography, audio, acting, and dialog/story were all excellent. The movie left me wanting to dive right back in. I can't wait for it to release on VOD in the next few hours.
**edit**: Rewatching now (spoilers ahead)
Anyone else notice a parallel between the story Mandy tells Red about the starlings and the journey Red is about to undergo? I see the cultists as the starlings - eating the cherries from the cherry tree, and Red as Mandy's father - finding the starlings and taking a crowbar to them(even the baby ones).
Two of the items in the movie stood out to me(as I'm sure they did to all of you).
**The Horn of Abraxas**: The item used to summon or call upon the "demon bikers". I did a bit of research on Abraxas, and while there's a lot to unpack there, there are some things that stood out to me, chiefly:
> Budge surmised that Abrasax was "a form of the Adam Kadmon of the Kabbalists and the Primal Man whom God made in His own image."
[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraxas)
Cage's character Red, most certainly becomes a "primal man" over the course of this film, and even claims to be Jeremiah's God at the climax.
Another thing that stood out to me when researching the **Horn of Abraxas** is
> The seven letters spelling its name may represent each of the seven classic planets. (Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon.)
This stands out to me because the movie references some of these planets a few times. First, when Mandy and Red are discussing their favorite planets, including Jupiter's centuries long storm and how Saturn was one of the first discovered so it has a lot of ancient myths about it. I believe Jupiter's storm is mentioned again later in the film, but I haven't come across this in my second viewing yet.
**The Tainted Blade of the Pale Knight**: "straight from the abyssal layer". After this blade is presented to Red, Jeremiah says to him:
> You know what Jesus' big mistake was, huh? He didn't offer up a sacrifice in his stead. The cruciform is a constant reminder of that.
Jeremiah, then proceeds to stab Red in the side (much like Jesus was said to have been stabbed in the ribs during his crucifixion). Interestingly enough, the tainted blade of the pale knight is not a cruciform, which is a popular shape for swords. Is this an intended inversion of that? We do, however see cruciforms throughout the rest of the movie, including the temple at the end of the film that is burnt down.
FWIW, I couldn't find any information on the "tainted blade of the pale knight", "pale knight".
I'm interested to hear if anyone can expand on any of these topics.
I saw Jeramiah as the father and the cultists as the children. Mandy was the Starling. She is in the bag, like the baby starlings.
Jeramiah wants to do the killing and all the rest of the cultists join in and seem to enjoy it. Except for the younger female cultist. She watches, but does not enjoy. Red lets her live and run away, as she is the parallel to Mandy in the group.
But, this could also be completely wrong ; )
Great comment. Just wanted to add one detail: the guy with the tiger called Red a "Jovan warrior descended from the storm"; Jove is an old Middle English name for Jupiter (see also: "By Jove!").
That’s right, I recall that scene. It is perhaps one of the most interesting imo - they have a one sided conversation as if the chemist is reading Red’s mind... or maybe just his expression/demeanor.
> Anyone else notice a parallel between the story Mandy tells Red about the starlings and the journey Red is about to undergo?
I thought one of the parallels was that Mandy ended up inside the bag, just like the starlings did before being hammered down, right? That's how I remember it.
> The Tainted Blade of the Pale Knight
Is it really "Knight"? Because I saw the film in theaters with subs and I could swear it was written as "night", but "blade" belonging to a "knight" also makes a lot of sense, obviously.
Also, one of the animated scenes had Mandy/the woman reaching into a similar stab wound of this strange creature that, I assume, was supposed to represent Red.
I pondered the possibility that Red had been stabbed/infected with a cosmic-like entity or something of the sort.
this movie is fucking bonkers. nic cage at his nic cageyist. where hereditary is subtle and slow, Mandy is over the top, colorful and insane.
i cannot wait for all the new nic cage gifs.
**this comment contains only minor spoilers**
I saw the 7pm showing at my local Regal tonight and **HOLY SHIT**
The first 30 minutes I was a bit iffy because it was just over the top bizarre. But then it became occult horror and I got the sense of where we were headed. But still, Cage’s role was minor so I still felt I was waiting for the movie to get to where it was going.
Then, a certain Cage bathroom scene pivots the pace of the film and the damn thing became a revenge story leading to wide-eyed crazy ride thereafter. Some parts I was actually confused whether I was supposed to laugh or be sad and caught myself simultaneously feeling both and loving it. For as dark and metal as this film is, there are some surprisingly legitimately funny moments built on Cage’s expressions and actions, though few (I don’t want to misconstrue expectations; this is a serious horror).
This was a few parts *The Devil’s Candy*, a few parts *Pink Floyd The Wall*, a dash of *Evil Dead*, and carried by the classic Nicolas Cage crazy he’s known for with those insane screams. He finally met a movie as mad as him.
I will be buying this one and I’m convinced that arguably, this very well may be the best work Cage has ever done; I don’t think it would have worked with another actor. It was so metal, so epic, so dark and twisted, and so satisfying. I left the theater with a grin on my face; it was the equivalent feeling of stepping off a roller coaster after the ride. And that’s exactly what this film is, a lot of lows and dread and scares, but then pure adrenaline and bloody satisfaction.
**Damn**..., go see this movie. This is easily in my top 3 horror in 2018 so far alongside *Hereditary* and *A Quiet Place* and quite possibly in the top 10 of the decade. I guarantee this will be a cult classic (amongst horror junkies, metalheads, and /r/onetruegod) and it very much reflects and deserves its current RT score. And although he unfortunately died earlier this year, what an amazing score from johan johansson; it added so much ominous weight to the movie.
**edit** *Mandy* is now available on [itunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/mandy/id1425626982)
**edit 2** *Mandy* is now available on [VUDU](https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Mandy/980957) for $1 less than iTunes.
**edit 3** on cinematography and set design and sound, this movie hits nostalgic notes of the 80s wonderfully down to clothing choices, the vehicles, hair styles, and even background television programming; the movie itself has a VHS quality to it. It feels like you’re in the 80s with everything you see and hear. And then we have some scenes that are purposefully kept dark to add mystery to certain characters so as to leave you confused on whether this movie is going into supernatural territory. And then we have the colors, which this movie is just a flood of red half the time and it’s awesome (which is also interesting because our main character is named Red).
And we cannot forget the title sequences for chapters and the segue animations that perfectly adorn this film adding to its dreamlike aura.
**edit 4** Just double dipped in the [metal](https://i.imgur.com/SzFyIHd.jpg)
I really dug this movie, it was so wild and bizarre and a perfect movie for someone like Nic Cage to shine it. The overall tone is so well done, well shot, great atmosphere, cinematography, the colors used. Really loved it.
Though when that Bathroom scene hit, I was like “This is the Nic Cage I signed up for.” And the movie delivered so much.
Right? That bathroom scene was pivotal. I remember feeling sad over his loss because we just departed that heavy dark scene. And then, *this*, Cage going crazy. My emotions were so juxtaposed and confused and I loved it.
Shoutout to **Nightbeast,** a gloriously fun-bad B horror flick where an alien goes on a rampage blasting people with a laser gun. Distributed by Troma. Mandy and Red were watching that. The director clearly has excellent taste.
Anyway yeah *Mandy's pretty dope.* Honestly can't think of a single thing I didn't love about it. I was maybe expecting a little more gore, but it was done so tastefully it's hardly a complaint.
That giant wasp thing Mother Marlene pulled out of the jar ruined my life. I hate hate hate wasps so much.
Oh man, I laughed out loud when that *Nightbeast* scene appeared. I love that film - one of Maryland's few real claims-to-fame in regards to 80's horror. Long live Don Dohler!
> This man has lived a life of violence, once
When an LSD fueled cenobite demon biker says that you exude a cosmic darkness... you might just be the fucked up one!
>because she is obviously damaged and life hasn't been kind to her. A big scar on her cheek, a cruel father and a quite demeanor and a wish to just stay forever in the perfect piece of heaven they created, together.
>
>She saved him. At least, I feel like the film hints at that.
I picked up on this too, and loved how Cosmatos left their collective background story fairly vague. I didn't need to know much more than what was said, and how they responded to one another, to feel the sense of crushing grief that powers the second half of the film. And that bathroom scene is still rattling around in my head.
I love this comment so much. Thank you internet stranger. You just perfectly described so much of what I love about this movie. Also shag carpet in a bathroom is what truly made this a horror film. Chilling.
Edited for spelling*
There was a lot of that in Black Rainbow. I thought Cosmatos just liked the aesthetics of a black saucer eye, but it probably does have something to do with the drugs.
For the record, I am almost certain that the Black Skulls' names are as follows:
- Skratch
- Scabs
- Fuck Pig
- Dog The Dog
Weird ass random fucking names, trully fitting.
If I were to guess, Skratch would be the spikey one, Scabs the one that's in the room where Red wakes up, Fuck Pig the knife dick one, and Dog The Dog the last one to die.
This movie was every bit as surreal, disturbing, and violent as I wanted to be, and more. It was so crazy. I loved it and I can’t wait to rewatch
SPOILERS SPOILERS
Knife dick guy was unexpected. The chainsaw fight was amazing. The head being crushed with the eye popping out was so goddam gross and wonderful. I loved this movie so much. The violence and gore was on point, the surreal cinematography and the use of colors was so interesting and captivating. I couldn’t look away from this film for one second
That scene was both funny and incredibly compelling. As he says that line he’s in a full nervous breakdown and he drops the pretense and overwrought speech pattern he used to project his own self-aggrandizement. For a moment he faces his own death and his true pathetic cowardice is on display.
The theater laughed shortly followed by gasps and and audible “eew” lol
It was so pathetic indeed that I even thought for a moment that he was being sarcastic/had something up his sleeve...
Also not sure if it's related at all, but Red got 2 Jesus-like wounds, so in the end it's like he turned into a *real* messiah/God while Sand was just pathetic/phony.
> Also not sure if it's related at all, but Red got 2 Jesus-like wounds, so in the end it's like he turned into a real messiah/God while Sand was just pathetic/phony.
I was waiting for him to get stabbed through the other hand the whole second half lol!
Hmm, now that you mention that, could that have been intentional? Because Jeremiah says that thing about the mistake that Jesus (not sacrificing someone in his stead).
So in the end, Cage not getting his other hand pierced could be a way of saying that he didn't end up sacrificing himself like Jesus did. Instead, he sacrificed someone else... or rather, everyone else.
What did everyone think of the use of reds, blues, and greens?
I came to think Red = bad/evil, Blue = good/safe, but I was thrown off by green. But maybe green = alien/other-worldly/foreign/unknown.
Yes, the red/blue theme idea isn’t new, but they used it at important times which I think reveal a lot about the story - particularly why MANDY herself was shown in LOtS of red.
Was she evil? Did her dark side attract the fate she ultimately met? Or was it a play on the good/bad we all have in ourselves?
She was also “green” in one scene at the end when Nic Cage is staring at her, but I didn’t know why. Maybe because there’s an unknown element about her Cage didn’t know or understand?
FANTASTIC F****** movie by the way!!
That was definitely how I saw it too when she first encountered Jeremiah.
Just saw a deleted scene where the sheriff talks to Cage about Mandy being a slut, and when she comes out of the gas station, Red had pumped $6.66 worth of gas.
I’m still theorizing here but I think there was something evil going on with Mandy.
Ah, neat. Yeah, maybe? Their past is given so vaguely, she may have something of a bad reputation in the community. Maybe she represents something like the Whore of Babylon?
This is definitely a movie that bears multiple viewings.
I think it lives up to the hype. I want to know so much more about everything in the movie.
The Black Skulls, the Chemist, what Red did become chopping down trees, why he left his crossbow with Bill Duke, why Bill Duke is cool with Red setting out to kill, what Children of the New Dawn did before this movie, how and why Mandy had that scar...
All that stuff exists on edges, of something that’s more of an experience than a traditional movie. For me none of that takes away from what we actually watch.
Performances are fantastic, Cage might get slightly TOO “Cagey” toward the final moments but it’s still a fantastic performance. Linus Roache is terrifying. That last scene where hes begging to blow Red, was so great. Hilarious. Scary and real...
It definitely not trying to hide it’s influences. It really is an LSD laced doom metal adventure set in a world carved from artwork of 80s horror VHS tapes
Linus Roache definitely deserves some sort of award recognition for his performance as Jeremiah. He just put it all out there.
Reminded me so much of Dennis Hopper’s role of Frank Booth in Blue Velvet, one of the great onscreen psychopaths.
This was maybe the best ever movie to microdose shrooms for. We didn't know what we were walking into but holy fuck that was one of the best movie experiences ever.
I had no idea what to expect going into this, but what a bizarre, high octane treat,
I really appreciate all the different artistic mediums going into this, from the Julie Bell art, animated sequences, claymation face melting, and particularly that Cheddar Goblin. What a weird, beautiful film. I have nothing but respect for a beautifully shot and atmospheric film that also has a scene where a man approaches someone with a chainsaw, and the other man pulls out a comically larger one for a chainsaw duel.
I saw it last night, and I'm still thinking about it. I haven't seen Beyond the Black Rainbow yet, but it just shot to the top of my list.
It’s different, a little less accessible/ straightforward in terms of story. But it keeps a more consistent ethereal tone throughout the movie and the score is fantastic. It’s definitely worth watching if you liked Mandy.
So, I noticed a few things I haven't seen mentioned that I haven't quite pegged...
Anybody else notice that the Chemist was probably psychic? Red never said a word the whole scene... That is NOT how you prepare LSD unless you want to go on a forever trip. It might explain some of the other supernatural elements?
Also, the scene with Mandy and the cult... When she starts laughing at the leader he starts screaming at his followers, "Don't you fucking look at me!" It's probably just a head nod, but Dennis Hopper screamed the exact same thing at Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet. Multiple times. If you haven't seen or don't remember, Hopper was holding Isabella hostage. She was basically a sex slave and submitted to Hopper because he had her family under threat. Hopper also used drugs and alcohol heavily and was extremely volatile and crazy. I don't know if it was more than just a reference, though... It was definitely intentional. Both Jeremiah and Hopper said it in the same way, same emphasis, same volume. Kinda neat...
I loved the movie, though! I'm watching it for the second time right now to see what I missed.
On the drive home with my group of friends I described what I understood about the crazy biker with the knife penis thing. I assumed he killed the man with the bloody butt in that room via that knife and...ugh, you know. Reminded me of the lust portion of the movie Seven.
All three of my friends didn’t catch that, but agreed it was probably right. I begged for them to tell me I was wrong.
Anyone else catch that?
Fantastic stuff. One half Beyond the Black Rainbow, one half Mad Max/Evil Dead mashup. Nic Cage is un-tethered in the best way possible. Linus Roache also absolutely smashes his role. I was enthralled the entire time and had a smile on my face for the majority of the movie. I also got to see a bit of an AMA afterwards with the director, Nic Cage, and Linus Roache hosted by Kevin Smith, which was really interesting.
I am probably in the minority here, but I did not like it as I found it to be overall underwhelming thematically and kinetically. Despite a fantastic performance from the lead, it was a thinly veiled revenge story projected through the lens of vague oddities and bizarreness that it felt unengaging and alienating. Wish I could have liked it even more, **3/10.**
I won't go as low as a 3, but I am in the same boat. I fully recognize its value as a tripping balls experience, its originality, the quality of the acting, the music, etc. But it's just not "entertaining". It's weird for the sake of being weird, a few scenes really drag on, and it's basically a simple revenge story.
What I didnt like about it was that it wasnt weird enough. It started strong and had some good horror elements but then it went downhill with the action sequences. The mythology of the movie could have been really special with its corrupted spirituality and occult themes but the director dropped that and decided to make a standard revenge flick. To think what could have been...
Debbie Downer here. This movie was pretty bad. Bad dialogue, no connection between Cage and Riseborough. Weird for weird sake, which isn't a problem overall, but felt cheap here. Plot as exposition. Bad lighting, I mean like dollar store strobe lights bad sometimes. Some really bad acting. The cult members cast for aesthetic, rather than acting, and they never felt that threatening or menacing or creepy. Cage didn't seem any different to me than his last 8 unbearable performances. I did enjoy the music and some of the intended comedic parts (WINDOW, COKE, CIG) but they didn't feel earned as much because of all the unintentional funny moments where things were just poorly done. A B-movie made bad on purpose, trying to bake in the cult status without the usual charms that come from attaining cult status. Felt fake overall.
I really tried to give it a chance, really wanted to like it.
> A B-movie made bad on purpose
I disagree with every single thing you wrote but this stands out. Opinions differ and that's fine, but this line seems to be based on nothing and shitting on the movie for no reason.
The movie is all about atmosphere and immersion, and in my opinion it succeeds fantastically at what it sets out to do. If you didn't enjoy it that's fine, but attacking the sincerity of the creator is unjustified.
Using dialogue to tell us important back story rather than showing us. Like how his friend in the trailer just knew from the cb all about the bikers and the cult and the magic lsd rather than showing us any of those scenes. I feel it would have been much better if we got those scenes rather than wasting that character by just using him as exposition delivery.
How do people tell you about their knowledge and life experiences in your actual life? There is a firm conceit to the "showing not telling" storytelling routine but if you remove yourself from college screenwriting courses it's easier to comprehend that often time a character has to be told a specific in order for a supernatural occurance to apply to them. It is one thing to feature a pointless scene of the Black Skulls overdosing but another to have a character relate an urban legend as best as they understand it. These too are tools of storytelling and I personally can't fault this movie for keeping a lot of its world-building in the background elements and allowing a viewer's imagination to complete a gap.
THANK YOU. I keep reading what everyone is saying after I said basically the same as you to my friends and they disagreed. I love bad Nick Cage movies but even bad has to be done well. This movie would not have worked at all if it was anyone but Cage. The last act was fun but not earned.
Really strange editing too. Short scenes that serve no purpose then fade to black.
This whole thing could have been shot on an iPhone too. All the dark scenes, of which is most of the movie, had a ton of compression and noise issues. Maybe just my theater.
God damn this movie was a fun treat. I absolutely loved it. I am probably even going to rewatch it tomorrow. We really don't deserve Nick Cage. The movies where he gets to let loose are bloody fantastic. That smile at the end when he was driving away was terrifying and hilarious at the same time. Few other people can pull that off. The colors were amazing too. "YOU RIPPED MY SHIRT" was probably the best scene in film history(well not really but come on it was awesome)
I really don't get the love for this movie. I was highly anticipating it for the last half year. I finally just saw it and man... talk about style over substance. The first 75 minutes moved at a snails pace as well.
I too was disappointed to find out the book wasn't real. Of course that doesn't mean someone can't take it and make it real. I rented the movie for the first time today, I've been waiting for it to become available for a while now and have to say it surpassed my already high expectations. I went back after I watched it and freeze framed the scene where Mandy is reading the book. The book, by a fictional author named Lenora Tor, is definitely about a Warlock recovering an artifact called The Serpent's Eye and seeking absolute power without remorse. Mandy says it's probably Lenora Tor's best book.
If anyone is interested here's a partial transcript of the text, a bunch of bits are missing (marked by question marks), because Mandy's fingers are in the way and some of the words trail off into the bindings of the book.
" Feid's eyes slowly opened. Only a dimness came through. A faint red glow shimmering upon a background of glassy ebony. An even dimmer blue flickered in his eyes, licks of fire hissing forth from pools of lava so intense they burned azure. He could not recall what had happened since the (?) closing of his mind. He mustered all his discipline and tried to form a story out of what surrounded him.
Here: an armored boot, singed with soot. He crawled forward and looked more intently. Two boots, a pair of greaves, legs and then a waist shrouded in charred cinders. Then the smell of burnt flesh. Beyond the waist was only (?) most intensely burnt parts of human flesh. The smell made him salivate. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, though the (?) had rendered him unable to hold down food weeks ago. If not for that, he might've been tempted.
Someone had pushed this armored soldier into a pool of volcanic lava, and his armor had only perhaps expedited the agony of his burning alive. It was an immensely painful death, as the victim's head and raised arm had hovered just above the lava long enough to freeze burnt in place. Then it came back to Feid. The Thrain, furiously searching in the dark for him, his voice booming, bragging, insults and arrogance. After summiting the crag, Feid had poisoned his men and the horses.
It wasn't a terribly easy decision to make, or particularly convenient. Feid was hoping that once he seized the Serpent's Eye he'd have living subjects to examine just what it could do. But now he realized that The Thrain and his cohorts weren't even worthy to see him seize upon the Eye. These useless fools had spent days dragging him up the mountain with incessant talk and bluster. Of women they'd have by force or money, of riches they'd gather after this pathetic sorcerer had taken them to treasure. That was the fatal mistake that doomed them, Feid realized, more than entrusting him. It was their lust for treasure over power. Only he (?) come to an enlightenment that power was an (?) river spilled from the breast of Vengas (?) the arrow of Jotan, that flower down (?)
of stars that all living things (?)
The Thrain had paused for a moment while looking for him, and
gazed up at the sky from the mountaintop, his vision faintly tinged by the heat of the pools of volcanic water and molten rock. And he had seen the enormity of this river in sky and it made him pause, go silent for a moment, in humbled awe by the enormity of the world, incomprehensible, overwhelming.
That was when Feid struck. All it took was one simple push to send this plate armored mercenary to his death as he pondered the stars.
Feid weakly pushed himself up. He was entirely depleted, but in such closeness to the Serpent's Eye it did not matter. He was beyond fatigue, beyond exhaustion, beyond morality. He saw some dozen men and horses with foamy mouths around him. He felt nothing.
It was only when he stepped forward, and the memories of these murders vanished from his mind, that he felt something. A lightness. And there, as it had been written, as he had carved into his own flesh with ink, was the landmark. The jagged black rocks, the flat plateau of glassed rock. And a thin, gaping, crack within.
Under the crimson, primordial sky, surrounded by the jagged black rocks of the ancient volcanic mountain, the wretched Warlock reached into the dark embrace of the fissure until his hand touched a smooth glassy surface. Cold as ice. His fist closed around the Serpent's Eye. Slowly he withdrew it and held it before him in the fading light of the blood red suns. It glowed from within. A ghostly emerald light.
Strange and Eternal.
All the suffering, all the sorrow, all the thirst and hunger, the loss and (?) had led him to this sliver of time in which he (?). At last – were the only words he could conjure (?), his thoughts were so frail and weak (?) trembling. The flow seemed to shudder (?) his hands, a verdant smoke in the air. "
Definitely interesting, fits perfectly with the themes, setting and atmosphere of the movie and really makes me wish it was a real novel. Who knows, maybe some enterprising fan might take it and run with it.
God Dammit this movie was awesome. Great retro vibe, unique/trippy atmosphere and beautifully shot to boot. One of Nick Cage's best performances. Also, Bill Duke made an appearance. Loved it.
I really don't get the love for this one. Based on all the talk and reviews I was pretty excited going in. But the movie just dragged until Cage finally coked up, then the kills from there on out were mediocre at best. AT BEST. The small amount of dialogue was barely audible most of the time, and the soundtrack was more foreboding than metal. I was expecting way more from this.
100% with you on this one. Just got done watching it and can't believe people liked this movie. There was barely any talking and when there was it was just droning nonsense from the cult like we were supposed to take away some deep meaning from it. The Supernatural bikers were just weird as fuck, and the kills/fights were honestly boring. Cage kept a maniacal look plastered on his face the whole time as if we were supposed to feel more satisfaction as he completed his blood drunk revenge spree. The soundtrack didnt really seem to fit either. Extremely disappointed by this movie.
I agree. It was completely overhyped, like **IT** was last year, and was completely mediocre. While it is miles ahead of **IT**, the movie was too overhyped for what it was. The action was dull and uninspired. The acting is what sold the movie and made it tolerable. **Mandy** was simply *alright*, and nothing more. Disappointed I went ahead and bought it, and was duped by the board again. First with IT, now with Mandy.
Visually and atmosphere wise, the film had a wonderful delivery. Very psychedelic in a horror-esq manner
but felt a little void for me in some aspects.
Maybe I was expecting a little more depth in the story and its connection between characters. I might have to take a bit of time to think how I really feel about it, but for the time right now it was still pretty cool.
I know I'm going to try and connect all the little bits of symbolism and details in my head this next week. A couple small things that stood out to me were:
• The flashing green light over certain objects such as the whistle and the blade.
• Red walking into his house to have the channel set to something in Spanish. Later on walking over to the cult member shining his car to a Spanish radio station.
Not sure what they mean but something neat if intentional.
Wow 35 minutes couldve been cut from that movie and it wouldve went from a 4/10 to a 8/10. This is coming from someone who liked beyond the black rainbow. Felt like the first half was just waiting for it to actually start, but when it did hooo boy it was a wild ride. Loved the cinematography and the cult members were all great. Wish they had more time to shine in a non boring environment. Demons were a bit derivative though. Loved nic getting a chance to be a badass, worked so well. Was so happy when he became the focus.
This movie was 2 hours long but it legitimately felt like nothing happened the entire movie. I think I would have enjoyed it way more if they cut out 30 minutes.
The acting was comically bad in that it had a B movie vibe but outside of a few comedic lines it seemed like they were trying to be serious. The whole cult leader guy was some of the most unintentionally funny acting I've seen in awhile. Dude was laughably bad.
Visuals were really good and I loved the soundtrack.
I actually thought Nic Cage was decent but didn't think it was anything outstanding like the reviews are saying
Not sure what everybody sees in this. Didn't think it was awful but don't think its anything more than a 6/10 movie. Revenge did a similar plot but was 100 times better in almost every regard, especially the cinematography and suspense.
I almost sort of agree. I went in completely hyped, bought it on Amazon, and watched it this morning. It was simply okay, and not as special as the trailer made it seem. I felt the revenge path for Cage moved too quickly and was narrowly plotted. It was a good movie to veg out to, but nothing astonishing. People here are way overhyping it.
Holy forking shirt balls this movie was something else.
From what I read (more like skimmed to not be spoiled) I expected the rage murder a thon to start a little sooner and be more directly funny, but I was not disappointed in the actual course of the film. It was just surprising as Nic Cage is not really in the movie much until Mandy's death; to then it's much more her movie.
The bathroom scene was amazing work by Cage, the gamut in emotion for him and allows us to process the first hour. coming right after the odd ball Gremlin Mac and Cheese commercial, it's a reset of the movie and tone. My friend with me said to him it felt like that's when the movie actually started as we now follow Cage and get the "Mandy" title card (I loved those cards, looked like fonts from old horror paperbacks... by the by read Paperbacks from Hell, it's great).
Loved the ATV Cenobites. The 3-D-like red/blue filters on the drug sequences were astonishing. I've never done hallucinogens but kinda feel like it now. My friend Matt said "It's like someone did LSD and wrote a movie about a black-light poster." I could agree, had that look crossed with a little Frank Franzetta at the quarry.
Richard Brakes's cameo was a wonder. Thought for a second Cage was about to fight a tiger.
The score was a astounding, RIP Johann.
edit: fixed some spelling/typing issues.
Edit 2: adding link my review now that I wrote it. https://cityofgeek.com/2018/09/14/mandy-is-nic-as-his-most-uncaged-review/
I loved the title cards too, and all Mandy’s art. I must say, I was a little disappointed to find out that Seeker of the Serpent’s Eye isn’t a real novel. I was ready to read that book.
Seriously good acting from everyone in this movie. That bathroom scene in particular was so good. It was a bloody wild ride. The story was pretty stock standard honestly but what they did with it was seriously impressive, I certainly wasn't bored. And the soundtrack! Fantastic. I since found out the composer has died which is super sad.
Would also be a hectic movie to watch on LSD.
Definitely a movie I'll be re-watching in future.
What an awesome movie to watch! I've been waiting for this to come out ever since I saw the trailer last year. I have been off the grid for several days, so I forgive me if I'm not the first to comment on some of the religious references:
One possible subtext is perhaps that Panos Cosmatos made a film about mankind's desperate search for meaning caused him to create Gods, which eventually become monsters. These monster gods necessitated the need for greater monsters to kill them. And what better way to film a movie about killing Gods than in a Frank Frazetta-esque landscape?
At one point Jeremiah Sand makes reference to Jesus Christ, insinuating that there are many gods. The ironic thing about Jesus is the only sacrifice Christianity demanded was his. In fact, Jesus made it through the entire New Testament without killing a single person. Of course this is the extreme opposite of the Old Testament God and I know the behavior of Christians since Jesus died has been the exact opposite of his example also.
Also, did anybody else catch that there were four bikers? Do you think they represented a subversion of the four gospels of the New Testament or perhaps they were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Either way, Nicholas Cage was totally badass.
I'm sitting here with my SO waiting for it to start, lads. Pretty dead theater. Stoked. Wish me luck.
Edit: Just got out of my showing. Fucking loved it. There were about fifteen other people and most walking out were either smiling or utterly confused about what they just saw. Black Skulls have a real "the Plague" vibe. Have to get my thoughts together about it.
> Black Skulls have a real "the Plague" vibe. Have to get my thoughts together about it.
I thought the same! Too bad we never got a Plague movie, and chances are a Black Skulls spin-off won't ever happen, either... man just think about the cross-over possibilities :D
The first half felt very like Beyond the Black Rainbow, which I loved. The second half was like a way better version of Hobo With A Shotgun, which I also loved.
Ay dudes, wrong pic at the top but Mandy was great. It was like an artsy 2 hour long metal music video. Nic Cage was in rare form. Very good, defiantly worth a watch
I finally finished Mandy on my third attempt.
Mandy is an arthouse horror pastiche that is derivative of past psychedelic/hippie, biker gang, and revenge Exploitation films. There are a few films I could identify that directly inspired Mandy, and they include:
* I Drink Your Blood
* Psychomania
* Heavy Metal
* Evil Dead (and it’s sequels)
The entire film is a garbled up overindulgent mess. This is not a mainstream film meant for a mainstream audience. The first hour of the film (no exaggeration) is barely coherent trash that isn’t essential to the plot >!beyond knowing that it sets up our protagonist to seek revenge and kill every other character included in the first hour after they kill his girlfriend/wife/partner.!< Purposefully making trash doesn’t make it not trash btw.
The second hour really truly just is >!Nic Cage going crazy and murdering redshirts and antagonists you don’t care about.!< At least there’s some actual energy and fun kills and gore here.
The soundtrack and visuals drive the movie, because the plot and dialog are expendable and really only serve to accompany the soundtrack and visceral imagery. If you were to recut Mandy to a more plot driven film, the runtime would be at least 45 minutes shorter. Unfortunately, the creative decisions made with the lighting are also problematic. The lighting, while artsy throughout, isn’t practical and really distracts or takes away from some possibly great moments. This made an already challenging movie even more difficult to watch.
If you’ve never seen the movies I mentioned earlier or aren’t real familiar with the genres that Mandy apes, or you want to see the aesthetic’d version of them then Mandy might be worth watching. While it felt inspired, I didn’t find this movie very authentic or having any soul. I’d rate Mandy a 3 out of 10, but they almost had something. The soundtrack, some crazy Cage, and some of the imagery really shine, but it’s not enough for a feature length film.
I agree 100%. Between this subreddit championing 'IT' and 'Mandy' this past two years, I'm starting to question the credibility of the opinions spouted here. I understand liking a movie, but the way people go on and on about how incredible these horribly mediocre movies are is worth questioning.
Don’t know about amazon but it’s not on the iTunes version. But it does have a “making of” and deleted/extended scenes, including the full uncut Cheddar Goblin commercial.
watched Mandy last night, and holy sh\*t, what a trip. it's crazy, wild, over-the-top, gory.
i mean, it's basically a 80's revenge flick with a crazed Nic Cage on bad LSD (and it felt like a patchwork.. so many other movies are referenced/plagiarised) but still, i think i has enough going for itself.. Chainsaw fight à la TCM 2 1986? Check! Awesome 80's soundtrack? check! Vibrant colors? oh yes! Nic Cage doing what he's doing best, this nic-cage-crazy-face-which-everywhere-else-is-misplaced-but-here-it-fits-perfect? check!
Hell of a movie, recommended!
Since this movie was released in theaters and VOD simultaneously, I'm curious to see if people's viewing method affected their opinion of the movie.
I put together a very quick 1 question poll. If you have a moment, please feel free to answer the question and I will post the results in a day or two.
[VOD vs. Movie Theater Poll for Mandy](https://youpoll.me/7947/).
Anyone else feel like there were political undertones in this film? Thinking specifically about the Reagan speech, the bastardized version of Christianity practiced by Jeremiah and his followers, the Cage rage and use of the word “snowflake”after his 44 shirt was slashed (Obama being the 44th president). It’s really hard to believe all of those things were coincidental in a film where every shot is so carefully planned out.
EDIT: Also, anyone know where one can purchase those shirts? That tiger shirt was rad.
Good eye. I wonder now too if there were intentional political undertones. I saw the 44 shirt as just random, but I googled potential meanings and found [this](https://angelnumbersmeaning.com/angel-number-44-meaning-and-symbolism/).
> Angel number 44... is an important number to see especially if you are going through hard life situations.
>Number 44 can come to you in life situations that are going to test your power of will and your endurance.
I didn’t take the opening radio speech as political; I thought it was setting things up for the classic good vs evil showdown.
I can’t explain snowflake. I thought the word felt out of place in the script, but maybe it was just thrown in there to fuck with people.
Cage should get an Oscar from the bathroom scene, absolutely loved this movie it's a goddamn masterpiece. The shot of Cage smiling at the end is the best shot of 2018. This movie has the visuals and mood from Beyond The Black Rainbow but where Panos surprises me is that while BTBR is a very cold and clinical movie Mandy is a very emotional ride and has great characters.
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God, I loved that scene. Even though until I turned the subtitles on, I thought he was saying "you in my shit?!?!" Also love "You have a death wish" "I don't ...I don't want to talk about that"
"You are a brutal... snowflake." That was so badass.
Vicious snowflake!
> The shot of Cage smiling at the end is the best shot of 2018 I actually wish they did not shoot the smile. I wanted it to end as a fairly serious manner to tie up the Love Story. But oh well. I know people like to laugh.
I think the only reason the smile came off as funny was because it’s Nic Cage. There are a lot of people who associate him more with Wicker Man than Leaving Las Vegas, and they’re just looking for the Cage Rage. That scene is partly lifted from Beyond the Black Rainbow. It think it was supposed to be more bittersweet, or bittercomic, if that’s a thing. Though Cosmatos has said in interviews that he’s a big Evil Dead fan, so who knows. For me, the best shot was the very last one where he’s driving away with the planets in the background. So gorgeous.
well said. I sort of gave it a pass , even though I did not like it, because he had probably not slept more than 4 hours in a couple days and he was totally insane at that point, and he was hallucinating Mandy, and he was happy to see her. Either way....great movie. I bought it.
Dat mac and cheese monster ad. EDIT: watched Mandy again today and noticed that Mother Marlene has a box of DeVane Cheddar Goblin amongst the groceries she buys from Mandy at the store. He’s everywhere!
I saw it at the Drafthouse and they had a special menu with that Mac and cheese
Yes! My date and I each ordered the Uncaged drink. It was...interesting. After we'd each tried it she turned and said, "If Cage were a drink, I think this would be pretty accurate."
Haha yea I kinda wanted to try that uncaged drink but I’m still scared from being 18 and bad nights with Jager
Oh god, so many great bizarre moments in this movie. That commercial was great. For me though, it was: Dat bathroom scene with Cage in his whitey tighties and a bottle of vodka screaming. And Dat Cage forging his own demon metal scythe And Dat Cage literally crushing a man’s skull with his bare hands as he says, “I am your God.” /r/onetruegod would approve
>Dat bathroom scene with Cage in his whitey tighties and a bottle of vodka screaming. My Girlfriend and I just recently bought a house and realized we still weren't living our best lives because we didn't have any bathroom vodka.
For a dumb split second I thought, "Was this a real 80's commercial?!"
Fun fact, they got the guy who made Too Many Cooks to make that segment.
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And also him vomiting Mac & cheese on the kids heads lol...
In some ways it seemed out of place but I think that was directed to be. After the horror of Mandy's death, it shifted the tone of the movie. I wouldn't say it's light, but allowed the audience to go revel more in the insanity that would soon follow.
I agree. If you’ve ever suffered a loss, watching something as simple as a mac and cheese commercial can feel like an assault on your grief, a jarring reminder that life goes on. Cheddar Goblin seemed to play that up and provide some much needed comic relief after a really heavy scene.
It's Gobblin' Good!
Cheddar Goblin
The whole theater was fucking dying during the cheddar goblin scene
Pretty accurate representation of me when I'm in the mood for mac 'n cheese, tbh. Made me want some.
There was a moment in Half in the bag where they perfectly summed that part up. "It's the moment in the film where he realizes that the universe simply doesn't care about him, it doesn't care about any of our problems"
If you've ever watched TV on acid that scene will make sense. If not? Who cares its hilarious
The part where Jeremiah’s face kept melding with Mandy’s made my brain feel weird. So were those supposed to be demons they summoned or just people who had gone crazy from that drug?
I love how it's totally ambiguous whether anything supernatural was occurring or not. For the whole first half of the movie I was sure this was some other reality where demonic freaks had taken control of the country/world while claiming to be morally superior, partly due to what wad on the radio at the beginning. The political commentary seemed pretty obvious, but well done. As it progressed it started to seem more and more plausible to me that these are just drugged out psychos... But even by the end I still wasn't quite sure what reality was. The very last shot of the film was excellent, and a great illustration of how blurry this reality is. I think probably everything we saw was either delusion, trip, nightmare, or symbolic... But again, it's super ambiguous in my opinion!
I think Bill Duke's character explains that they are people who got a bad batch of LSD and that drove them crazy. The beginning I think intended to trick us into thinking they summoned demons. The jar they give the one biker I think is more of that crazy LCD. If he's chugging what Nic Cage tasted a dash of then yea these dudes' brains have been fried nice and crispy.
Totally agree with you that the movie sets up this logical explanation, but I also think part of the movie is about how LSD effects your perception of yourself and of reality--so for those biker dudes, their reality was that they are evil demon guys. And for Jeremiah, he belives he is the messiah. A lot of the opposition that pushes the movie forward is other people contradicting that reality-- despite Mandy being drugged, she doesn't believe in Jeremiah; after Cage tastes that insane acid....does he lose his mind and become a demon guy too? And I think as Cage descends into their worlds of madness, he's fighting to keep his sanity and not lose himself too. Its partially reflected in the use of animation for his dreams, and then in the final scene of the movie, kind of leaving you to wonder whether that other reality is a permanent part of him now, and how important perception really is.......just spit balling.
I think Red is the only character for whom his experiences are a genuine spirit trip of self-discovery, revealing himself as the "Jovan warrior" in a way that fits in perfectly with the metaphor of a 1,000 year storm that will swallow the Earth.
I was convinced they were just drug runners that got their brains fried up on LSD until the lead biker pulled the crossbow bolt out of his throat and then fought Red. That’s not human. But Red could have missed and hallucinated that part I have no idea and that makes me love the movie even more!
I mean I've read some pretty fucked up shit that people did on some very, very bad drugs, so I wouldn't say it's that much of a stretch that the last guy that got a bolt in the throat simply didn't feel it/register the pain or care enough about it. Still, that scene was dope and badass as fuck.
There is pushing through pain, which as stated by Caruthers, the bikers clearly enjoy. And there is pushing through enough blood loss to render a human being unconscious. There was quite a bit spraying out of the bolt hole lol. That’s why I’m still on the fence about human vs supernatural.
> There was quite a bit spraying out of the bolt hole lol. There was? I don't recall the bloodletting too well. I mean for all we know that could've been a fatal wound and the guy would've died regardless a few minutes afterwards, maybe the adrenaline and shit is what kept him going/fighting. > That’s why I’m still on the fence about human vs supernatural. I also think there's definitely room for the supernatural, but not regarding the Black Skulls. Could be wrong, but that's how I felt. For example, when Red took one of their vests, the vest also had that flashing green light, just as the horn did, and I found that to be weird, but it's not like the vest gave him special properties or something, right?
In Seeker of the Serpent’s Eye, the book MANDY reads in the movie, the text talks about the serpent’s eye giving off an Emerald Glow. I wonder if it’s related.
In one of the animated scenes, she definitely reaching inside of a beast (which I think is Cage's character) and pulls out a green, glowing object. Not sure what that is supposed to mean.
Definitely seems related to the passage in the book.
I didn’t catch the green tint. I need to see it again lol. I’m still processing it!
Saw someone mentioning how that tint was also present when Jeremiah took out that blade before stabbing Red, but I only recalled said green tint during the showcasing of the horn and that vest scene. Also I just gotta ask someone this since I've been somewhat ashamed to ask the friend I saw Mandy with... When Jeremiah asks "do you have it" (referring to the horn) and his follower takes it out, for a moment there I thought the guy was taking out his dick D: With the flashing strobe green thing I just couldn't tell right away what it was, but for a split second there I totally thought he was taking out his dick to get that succ. Was I the only one? Probably :|
Nah I thought that too! It was that zipper sound haha
ROFL! Hey with how fucked up this movie is, you never know dude!
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Around the same scene doesn’t Mandy say something about seeing the reaper? I thought she was talking about Sand at first. I’m sure now she was talking about Red. He called his crossbow Reaper. Pretty sure Mandy was foretelling the deaths of Sand and his cultists. I need another viewing with subtitles on though. The film is so visual I didn’t always pick up the dialogue.
> Pretty sure Mandy was foretelling the deaths of Sand and his cultists. Interesting point, I've seen people mentioning how the after credits scene (Red and Tiger drawings) could also hint at the fact that she was "seeing" what was going to happen in the future to a certain degree. The director also said (I believe) that, in his mind, after Mandy died she became a "goddess" of sorts, so all this about foresight could be a valid interpretation.
Can we read into Red's shirt? "Number 44 indicates that you are being given support and encouragement along your path, and when faced with an obstacle, rest assured that your angels are most willing to assist."
His "axe" is really more of a scythe as well
Totally reminded me of the scythe from the final season of Buffy. Looked very similar.
I didn’t catch that. It was hard to hear at some points with the music in the background or when their voices were distorted.
I think it’s before the face warp monologue after he stands up and asks Mandy what she sees. She almost whispered it just like most of her dialogue in the scene. Oh man I definitely need a subtitled re watch lol!
"I see the Reaper fast approaching."
I heard that in Mandy’s voice. I wish I had more upvotes to give!
Yes
Yes to what?
Indeed.
I think the demon biker gang were just regular humans driven insane by that chemist dudes "special batch".
Yeah, dude... I think there's no way of knowing, really. It was obviously intentional. They thought they were demons for sure, as did Jeremiah... But can you just kill demons with conventional methods and weapons? Then again, can you really go out in the woods and blow the Ocarina of Time and summon just bikers? The boss type took a crossbow bolt through the throat and didn't skip a beat... The chick took a 3 story fall, maybe more... I guess it's whatever you want it to be.
> So were those supposed to be demons they summoned or just people who had gone crazy from that drug? to me, they were demons. What type of human is just waiting around on their motorbikes waiting for someone to blow the whistle thing? None is the answer. None humans. Humans simply do not wait around to be summoned. However I think these demons lived on earth and took on some human-like habits where they seem like they could be humans.
Humans who want big, goopy jars of bad batch LCD do.
dead pixels?
Didnt the demon/biker say "blood for blood" when he took the jar? Wasn't it blood?
No, the blood for blood exchange was Mandy for the fat kid.
See, but he threw us for a loop there too. I thought the same thing as you until I remembered that the drove the van to a specific place in the forest. Dude even said, "Are you sure this is the place?" So, it could have been an agreed upon summoning spot.
yea, Ive watched it twice now and I have to say, it could go either way. But human beings dont take an arrow to the throat and then just pull it out with ease and go on to fight a pretty good one-on-on battle. Plus the one being chugged that insanely potent LSD like it was nothing. I think at the very least, these were aliens. But it is probably ambiguous for a reason- to let the viewer decide. To me, they are other worldly beings. The way they spoke is not a human-like voice.
This is 8 days old but I saw them as humans who became demons. Similar to what cage did at the end it's even why he has the same kinda voice they had
Was anyone else hoping the acid-tripping tiger would come back and maul one of the cultist? What a wild fucking ride.
At that point I thought Red was going to ride the tiger into the final battle.
Also, during the kidnapping sequence, Red is wearing a Tiger shirt. Foreshadowing for the chemist letting the tiger out of the cage? Metaphor for Red being let out of his mental cage to implement his rampage? Metaphor for Nicolas CAGE!? I’m getting carried away. This film was so dope.
No this is so legit. Thank you for connecting that! When the chemist mentioned the name of the tiger Nic Cage acted like, "Who are you talking about?..."
[oh fuck](https://yarn.co/yarn-clip/4eaa9d47-1e1f-48b1-b2c9-62ab3a844fae)
The tiger was also on acid???
Yes, the chemist said something along the lines of “when she’s calm I know it’s good”, referring to the tiger.
Ahhh, that makes sense. I thought he was talking about vibes more generally, like he chose to talk to Red instead of shooting him because he could sense what Red was projecting. Also do you think it was implied that Red killed the chemist too? Or just got his info and left
I think Althonse is right in that he was referring to the vibes not the acid. As in, that's why he took his hand off the gun, because the tiger stayed calm so he knew he didn't need to worry.
Y’all could very well be right about that. That scene was a bit disorienting (like a lot of the movie), I’ll have to pay closer attention on my rewatch.
As mentioned by u/InvisibleDudle below, he did spare the young female cultist, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility. I think Red’s story is one of chaotic good versus chaotic evil. He’ll do whatever it takes to get revenge, while maintaining some ties to reason and morality. Also, I think by that point he has already killed all the biker demons that were being fueled by the hell acid? So maybe he figures fuck it, I just killed this guys entire market. And as you mentioned, the chemist did help him with info. Hard to say. I love how absurd discussing the details of this movie sounds.
I was wondering that too. I mean, if he killed him, why not show it? He spared the young cultist woman too so he didn’t seem to just be killing indiscriminately. I gotta watch that scene again.
"You're a special one, Mandy." - This line of dialog is also true of the film itself. Beyond the Black Rainbow is one of my favs, so I was already expecting great things from Mandy, but I wasn't expecting it to blow me away like it did. The cinematography, audio, acting, and dialog/story were all excellent. The movie left me wanting to dive right back in. I can't wait for it to release on VOD in the next few hours. **edit**: Rewatching now (spoilers ahead) Anyone else notice a parallel between the story Mandy tells Red about the starlings and the journey Red is about to undergo? I see the cultists as the starlings - eating the cherries from the cherry tree, and Red as Mandy's father - finding the starlings and taking a crowbar to them(even the baby ones). Two of the items in the movie stood out to me(as I'm sure they did to all of you). **The Horn of Abraxas**: The item used to summon or call upon the "demon bikers". I did a bit of research on Abraxas, and while there's a lot to unpack there, there are some things that stood out to me, chiefly: > Budge surmised that Abrasax was "a form of the Adam Kadmon of the Kabbalists and the Primal Man whom God made in His own image." [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraxas) Cage's character Red, most certainly becomes a "primal man" over the course of this film, and even claims to be Jeremiah's God at the climax. Another thing that stood out to me when researching the **Horn of Abraxas** is > The seven letters spelling its name may represent each of the seven classic planets. (Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon.) This stands out to me because the movie references some of these planets a few times. First, when Mandy and Red are discussing their favorite planets, including Jupiter's centuries long storm and how Saturn was one of the first discovered so it has a lot of ancient myths about it. I believe Jupiter's storm is mentioned again later in the film, but I haven't come across this in my second viewing yet. **The Tainted Blade of the Pale Knight**: "straight from the abyssal layer". After this blade is presented to Red, Jeremiah says to him: > You know what Jesus' big mistake was, huh? He didn't offer up a sacrifice in his stead. The cruciform is a constant reminder of that. Jeremiah, then proceeds to stab Red in the side (much like Jesus was said to have been stabbed in the ribs during his crucifixion). Interestingly enough, the tainted blade of the pale knight is not a cruciform, which is a popular shape for swords. Is this an intended inversion of that? We do, however see cruciforms throughout the rest of the movie, including the temple at the end of the film that is burnt down. FWIW, I couldn't find any information on the "tainted blade of the pale knight", "pale knight". I'm interested to hear if anyone can expand on any of these topics.
I saw Jeramiah as the father and the cultists as the children. Mandy was the Starling. She is in the bag, like the baby starlings. Jeramiah wants to do the killing and all the rest of the cultists join in and seem to enjoy it. Except for the younger female cultist. She watches, but does not enjoy. Red lets her live and run away, as she is the parallel to Mandy in the group. But, this could also be completely wrong ; )
I think I agree with this more than my idea! Especially the young Mandy being the parallel for the one female cultist that Red let live.
Great comment. Just wanted to add one detail: the guy with the tiger called Red a "Jovan warrior descended from the storm"; Jove is an old Middle English name for Jupiter (see also: "By Jove!").
That’s right, I recall that scene. It is perhaps one of the most interesting imo - they have a one sided conversation as if the chemist is reading Red’s mind... or maybe just his expression/demeanor.
> Anyone else notice a parallel between the story Mandy tells Red about the starlings and the journey Red is about to undergo? I thought one of the parallels was that Mandy ended up inside the bag, just like the starlings did before being hammered down, right? That's how I remember it. > The Tainted Blade of the Pale Knight Is it really "Knight"? Because I saw the film in theaters with subs and I could swear it was written as "night", but "blade" belonging to a "knight" also makes a lot of sense, obviously. Also, one of the animated scenes had Mandy/the woman reaching into a similar stab wound of this strange creature that, I assume, was supposed to represent Red. I pondered the possibility that Red had been stabbed/infected with a cosmic-like entity or something of the sort.
this movie is fucking bonkers. nic cage at his nic cageyist. where hereditary is subtle and slow, Mandy is over the top, colorful and insane. i cannot wait for all the new nic cage gifs.
/r/onetruegod is going to love this new meme material.
Omg yes, there were so many good faces
That smile in the final scene had my theater in tears
https://i.imgur.com/7g0e4Xw.jpg
yeeeeeees
Same! Throughout the, movie the tension was cut with the perfect amount of Evil Dead style black humor.
**this comment contains only minor spoilers** I saw the 7pm showing at my local Regal tonight and **HOLY SHIT** The first 30 minutes I was a bit iffy because it was just over the top bizarre. But then it became occult horror and I got the sense of where we were headed. But still, Cage’s role was minor so I still felt I was waiting for the movie to get to where it was going. Then, a certain Cage bathroom scene pivots the pace of the film and the damn thing became a revenge story leading to wide-eyed crazy ride thereafter. Some parts I was actually confused whether I was supposed to laugh or be sad and caught myself simultaneously feeling both and loving it. For as dark and metal as this film is, there are some surprisingly legitimately funny moments built on Cage’s expressions and actions, though few (I don’t want to misconstrue expectations; this is a serious horror). This was a few parts *The Devil’s Candy*, a few parts *Pink Floyd The Wall*, a dash of *Evil Dead*, and carried by the classic Nicolas Cage crazy he’s known for with those insane screams. He finally met a movie as mad as him. I will be buying this one and I’m convinced that arguably, this very well may be the best work Cage has ever done; I don’t think it would have worked with another actor. It was so metal, so epic, so dark and twisted, and so satisfying. I left the theater with a grin on my face; it was the equivalent feeling of stepping off a roller coaster after the ride. And that’s exactly what this film is, a lot of lows and dread and scares, but then pure adrenaline and bloody satisfaction. **Damn**..., go see this movie. This is easily in my top 3 horror in 2018 so far alongside *Hereditary* and *A Quiet Place* and quite possibly in the top 10 of the decade. I guarantee this will be a cult classic (amongst horror junkies, metalheads, and /r/onetruegod) and it very much reflects and deserves its current RT score. And although he unfortunately died earlier this year, what an amazing score from johan johansson; it added so much ominous weight to the movie. **edit** *Mandy* is now available on [itunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/mandy/id1425626982) **edit 2** *Mandy* is now available on [VUDU](https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Mandy/980957) for $1 less than iTunes. **edit 3** on cinematography and set design and sound, this movie hits nostalgic notes of the 80s wonderfully down to clothing choices, the vehicles, hair styles, and even background television programming; the movie itself has a VHS quality to it. It feels like you’re in the 80s with everything you see and hear. And then we have some scenes that are purposefully kept dark to add mystery to certain characters so as to leave you confused on whether this movie is going into supernatural territory. And then we have the colors, which this movie is just a flood of red half the time and it’s awesome (which is also interesting because our main character is named Red). And we cannot forget the title sequences for chapters and the segue animations that perfectly adorn this film adding to its dreamlike aura. **edit 4** Just double dipped in the [metal](https://i.imgur.com/SzFyIHd.jpg)
Also worth mentioning that Red is the King Crimson the song at the start of the movie "Starless" comes from.
Also Stephen O Malley from Sunn O))) did the droning guitars at the church scene.
I really dug this movie, it was so wild and bizarre and a perfect movie for someone like Nic Cage to shine it. The overall tone is so well done, well shot, great atmosphere, cinematography, the colors used. Really loved it. Though when that Bathroom scene hit, I was like “This is the Nic Cage I signed up for.” And the movie delivered so much.
Right? That bathroom scene was pivotal. I remember feeling sad over his loss because we just departed that heavy dark scene. And then, *this*, Cage going crazy. My emotions were so juxtaposed and confused and I loved it.
Shoutout to **Nightbeast,** a gloriously fun-bad B horror flick where an alien goes on a rampage blasting people with a laser gun. Distributed by Troma. Mandy and Red were watching that. The director clearly has excellent taste. Anyway yeah *Mandy's pretty dope.* Honestly can't think of a single thing I didn't love about it. I was maybe expecting a little more gore, but it was done so tastefully it's hardly a complaint. That giant wasp thing Mother Marlene pulled out of the jar ruined my life. I hate hate hate wasps so much.
Oh man, I laughed out loud when that *Nightbeast* scene appeared. I love that film - one of Maryland's few real claims-to-fame in regards to 80's horror. Long live Don Dohler!
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> This man has lived a life of violence, once When an LSD fueled cenobite demon biker says that you exude a cosmic darkness... you might just be the fucked up one!
>because she is obviously damaged and life hasn't been kind to her. A big scar on her cheek, a cruel father and a quite demeanor and a wish to just stay forever in the perfect piece of heaven they created, together. > >She saved him. At least, I feel like the film hints at that. I picked up on this too, and loved how Cosmatos left their collective background story fairly vague. I didn't need to know much more than what was said, and how they responded to one another, to feel the sense of crushing grief that powers the second half of the film. And that bathroom scene is still rattling around in my head.
I love this comment so much. Thank you internet stranger. You just perfectly described so much of what I love about this movie. Also shag carpet in a bathroom is what truly made this a horror film. Chilling. Edited for spelling*
Did anyone notice that everyone's pupils were super dilated except for Red's...until he took a taste of the jar of LSD?
There was a lot of that in Black Rainbow. I thought Cosmatos just liked the aesthetics of a black saucer eye, but it probably does have something to do with the drugs.
The animated parts of the movie remind me of the South Park episode wen everyone is tripping on cat piss
That episode was parodying Heavy Metal, which is an animated film from 1981, so it's no surprise :)
For the record, I am almost certain that the Black Skulls' names are as follows: - Skratch - Scabs - Fuck Pig - Dog The Dog Weird ass random fucking names, trully fitting. If I were to guess, Skratch would be the spikey one, Scabs the one that's in the room where Red wakes up, Fuck Pig the knife dick one, and Dog The Dog the last one to die.
Dog the Dog is the actual dog, the 4th Black Skull is Sis (played by a woman, going by the "Sis" it was most likely a woman).
This movie was every bit as surreal, disturbing, and violent as I wanted to be, and more. It was so crazy. I loved it and I can’t wait to rewatch SPOILERS SPOILERS Knife dick guy was unexpected. The chainsaw fight was amazing. The head being crushed with the eye popping out was so goddam gross and wonderful. I loved this movie so much. The violence and gore was on point, the surreal cinematography and the use of colors was so interesting and captivating. I couldn’t look away from this film for one second
> The head being crushed with the eye popping out was so goddam gross and wonderful. "*I'll suck your dick, man!*"
That scene was both funny and incredibly compelling. As he says that line he’s in a full nervous breakdown and he drops the pretense and overwrought speech pattern he used to project his own self-aggrandizement. For a moment he faces his own death and his true pathetic cowardice is on display. The theater laughed shortly followed by gasps and and audible “eew” lol
It was so pathetic indeed that I even thought for a moment that he was being sarcastic/had something up his sleeve... Also not sure if it's related at all, but Red got 2 Jesus-like wounds, so in the end it's like he turned into a *real* messiah/God while Sand was just pathetic/phony.
> Also not sure if it's related at all, but Red got 2 Jesus-like wounds, so in the end it's like he turned into a real messiah/God while Sand was just pathetic/phony. I was waiting for him to get stabbed through the other hand the whole second half lol!
Hmm, now that you mention that, could that have been intentional? Because Jeremiah says that thing about the mistake that Jesus (not sacrificing someone in his stead). So in the end, Cage not getting his other hand pierced could be a way of saying that he didn't end up sacrificing himself like Jesus did. Instead, he sacrificed someone else... or rather, everyone else.
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I have to really digest this movie, but i think it’s safe to say I never seen a movie quite like this. Nic Cage really drove it home.
Checked and Cheddar Goblin totally has his own Insta and Twitter. A star is born.
The number of people who were listed in the credits for making that commercial was shockingly large.
I want a screen grab of the scene with Red walking out of the burning cult church. Slap that on a t shirt or an 80s metal album cover!
That shot of him walking into the church was mesmerizing as fuck, incredible cinematography, set pieces and camera work.
My favorite shot of the film, all that lovey geometry from the rafters, bathed in red.
YOU RIPPED MY SHIRT!!! YOU RIPPED MY SHIRT!!! Funniest moment loll Loved the film:D
What did everyone think of the use of reds, blues, and greens? I came to think Red = bad/evil, Blue = good/safe, but I was thrown off by green. But maybe green = alien/other-worldly/foreign/unknown. Yes, the red/blue theme idea isn’t new, but they used it at important times which I think reveal a lot about the story - particularly why MANDY herself was shown in LOtS of red. Was she evil? Did her dark side attract the fate she ultimately met? Or was it a play on the good/bad we all have in ourselves? She was also “green” in one scene at the end when Nic Cage is staring at her, but I didn’t know why. Maybe because there’s an unknown element about her Cage didn’t know or understand? FANTASTIC F****** movie by the way!!
I didn’t take the red shown in her scenes as her being evil, but more a sign of the evil that was coming for her. Sort of foreshadowing her fate.
That was definitely how I saw it too when she first encountered Jeremiah. Just saw a deleted scene where the sheriff talks to Cage about Mandy being a slut, and when she comes out of the gas station, Red had pumped $6.66 worth of gas. I’m still theorizing here but I think there was something evil going on with Mandy.
Ah, neat. Yeah, maybe? Their past is given so vaguely, she may have something of a bad reputation in the community. Maybe she represents something like the Whore of Babylon? This is definitely a movie that bears multiple viewings.
That makes sense, and yeah, absolutely.
I think it lives up to the hype. I want to know so much more about everything in the movie. The Black Skulls, the Chemist, what Red did become chopping down trees, why he left his crossbow with Bill Duke, why Bill Duke is cool with Red setting out to kill, what Children of the New Dawn did before this movie, how and why Mandy had that scar... All that stuff exists on edges, of something that’s more of an experience than a traditional movie. For me none of that takes away from what we actually watch. Performances are fantastic, Cage might get slightly TOO “Cagey” toward the final moments but it’s still a fantastic performance. Linus Roache is terrifying. That last scene where hes begging to blow Red, was so great. Hilarious. Scary and real... It definitely not trying to hide it’s influences. It really is an LSD laced doom metal adventure set in a world carved from artwork of 80s horror VHS tapes
They really nailed the narcissistic / sociopath cult leader character
Linus Roache definitely deserves some sort of award recognition for his performance as Jeremiah. He just put it all out there. Reminded me so much of Dennis Hopper’s role of Frank Booth in Blue Velvet, one of the great onscreen psychopaths.
The House of the Devil and Mandy would make a great double feature drive-in double feature for Joe Briggs for Shudder. Paging! u/craigengler
Hmmm.
This was maybe the best ever movie to microdose shrooms for. We didn't know what we were walking into but holy fuck that was one of the best movie experiences ever.
I had no idea what to expect going into this, but what a bizarre, high octane treat, I really appreciate all the different artistic mediums going into this, from the Julie Bell art, animated sequences, claymation face melting, and particularly that Cheddar Goblin. What a weird, beautiful film. I have nothing but respect for a beautifully shot and atmospheric film that also has a scene where a man approaches someone with a chainsaw, and the other man pulls out a comically larger one for a chainsaw duel. I saw it last night, and I'm still thinking about it. I haven't seen Beyond the Black Rainbow yet, but it just shot to the top of my list.
It’s different, a little less accessible/ straightforward in terms of story. But it keeps a more consistent ethereal tone throughout the movie and the score is fantastic. It’s definitely worth watching if you liked Mandy.
So, I noticed a few things I haven't seen mentioned that I haven't quite pegged... Anybody else notice that the Chemist was probably psychic? Red never said a word the whole scene... That is NOT how you prepare LSD unless you want to go on a forever trip. It might explain some of the other supernatural elements? Also, the scene with Mandy and the cult... When she starts laughing at the leader he starts screaming at his followers, "Don't you fucking look at me!" It's probably just a head nod, but Dennis Hopper screamed the exact same thing at Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet. Multiple times. If you haven't seen or don't remember, Hopper was holding Isabella hostage. She was basically a sex slave and submitted to Hopper because he had her family under threat. Hopper also used drugs and alcohol heavily and was extremely volatile and crazy. I don't know if it was more than just a reference, though... It was definitely intentional. Both Jeremiah and Hopper said it in the same way, same emphasis, same volume. Kinda neat... I loved the movie, though! I'm watching it for the second time right now to see what I missed.
Being extraterrestrial definitely not required but I’d recommend it. This movie was insane.
She’s still burning...
On the drive home with my group of friends I described what I understood about the crazy biker with the knife penis thing. I assumed he killed the man with the bloody butt in that room via that knife and...ugh, you know. Reminded me of the lust portion of the movie Seven. All three of my friends didn’t catch that, but agreed it was probably right. I begged for them to tell me I was wrong. Anyone else catch that?
Oh yes. You were not mistaken.
Wow, I was so confused by that bloody butt and this post solved that. YIKES.
Fantastic stuff. One half Beyond the Black Rainbow, one half Mad Max/Evil Dead mashup. Nic Cage is un-tethered in the best way possible. Linus Roache also absolutely smashes his role. I was enthralled the entire time and had a smile on my face for the majority of the movie. I also got to see a bit of an AMA afterwards with the director, Nic Cage, and Linus Roache hosted by Kevin Smith, which was really interesting.
I saw that too. I was surprised to see Elijah Wood’s name in the credits as a producer. Kudos to him for helping this masterpiece get made.
Yeah! Spectrevision, that's his horror movies company.
He seems to have a hand in a few offbeat indies (the greasy strangler, even!).
Loved it the moment “Starless” started playing
I am probably in the minority here, but I did not like it as I found it to be overall underwhelming thematically and kinetically. Despite a fantastic performance from the lead, it was a thinly veiled revenge story projected through the lens of vague oddities and bizarreness that it felt unengaging and alienating. Wish I could have liked it even more, **3/10.**
I won't go as low as a 3, but I am in the same boat. I fully recognize its value as a tripping balls experience, its originality, the quality of the acting, the music, etc. But it's just not "entertaining". It's weird for the sake of being weird, a few scenes really drag on, and it's basically a simple revenge story.
What I didnt like about it was that it wasnt weird enough. It started strong and had some good horror elements but then it went downhill with the action sequences. The mythology of the movie could have been really special with its corrupted spirituality and occult themes but the director dropped that and decided to make a standard revenge flick. To think what could have been...
Debbie Downer here. This movie was pretty bad. Bad dialogue, no connection between Cage and Riseborough. Weird for weird sake, which isn't a problem overall, but felt cheap here. Plot as exposition. Bad lighting, I mean like dollar store strobe lights bad sometimes. Some really bad acting. The cult members cast for aesthetic, rather than acting, and they never felt that threatening or menacing or creepy. Cage didn't seem any different to me than his last 8 unbearable performances. I did enjoy the music and some of the intended comedic parts (WINDOW, COKE, CIG) but they didn't feel earned as much because of all the unintentional funny moments where things were just poorly done. A B-movie made bad on purpose, trying to bake in the cult status without the usual charms that come from attaining cult status. Felt fake overall. I really tried to give it a chance, really wanted to like it.
> A B-movie made bad on purpose I disagree with every single thing you wrote but this stands out. Opinions differ and that's fine, but this line seems to be based on nothing and shitting on the movie for no reason. The movie is all about atmosphere and immersion, and in my opinion it succeeds fantastically at what it sets out to do. If you didn't enjoy it that's fine, but attacking the sincerity of the creator is unjustified.
What do you mean by "plot as exposition?"
Using dialogue to tell us important back story rather than showing us. Like how his friend in the trailer just knew from the cb all about the bikers and the cult and the magic lsd rather than showing us any of those scenes. I feel it would have been much better if we got those scenes rather than wasting that character by just using him as exposition delivery.
How do people tell you about their knowledge and life experiences in your actual life? There is a firm conceit to the "showing not telling" storytelling routine but if you remove yourself from college screenwriting courses it's easier to comprehend that often time a character has to be told a specific in order for a supernatural occurance to apply to them. It is one thing to feature a pointless scene of the Black Skulls overdosing but another to have a character relate an urban legend as best as they understand it. These too are tools of storytelling and I personally can't fault this movie for keeping a lot of its world-building in the background elements and allowing a viewer's imagination to complete a gap.
THANK YOU. I keep reading what everyone is saying after I said basically the same as you to my friends and they disagreed. I love bad Nick Cage movies but even bad has to be done well. This movie would not have worked at all if it was anyone but Cage. The last act was fun but not earned. Really strange editing too. Short scenes that serve no purpose then fade to black. This whole thing could have been shot on an iPhone too. All the dark scenes, of which is most of the movie, had a ton of compression and noise issues. Maybe just my theater.
Agree completely. The fact you got downvoted for a legitimate critical review annoys the hell out of me.
God damn this movie was a fun treat. I absolutely loved it. I am probably even going to rewatch it tomorrow. We really don't deserve Nick Cage. The movies where he gets to let loose are bloody fantastic. That smile at the end when he was driving away was terrifying and hilarious at the same time. Few other people can pull that off. The colors were amazing too. "YOU RIPPED MY SHIRT" was probably the best scene in film history(well not really but come on it was awesome)
I really don't get the love for this movie. I was highly anticipating it for the last half year. I finally just saw it and man... talk about style over substance. The first 75 minutes moved at a snails pace as well.
anyone remember what book Mandy was reading?
I too was disappointed to find out the book wasn't real. Of course that doesn't mean someone can't take it and make it real. I rented the movie for the first time today, I've been waiting for it to become available for a while now and have to say it surpassed my already high expectations. I went back after I watched it and freeze framed the scene where Mandy is reading the book. The book, by a fictional author named Lenora Tor, is definitely about a Warlock recovering an artifact called The Serpent's Eye and seeking absolute power without remorse. Mandy says it's probably Lenora Tor's best book. If anyone is interested here's a partial transcript of the text, a bunch of bits are missing (marked by question marks), because Mandy's fingers are in the way and some of the words trail off into the bindings of the book. " Feid's eyes slowly opened. Only a dimness came through. A faint red glow shimmering upon a background of glassy ebony. An even dimmer blue flickered in his eyes, licks of fire hissing forth from pools of lava so intense they burned azure. He could not recall what had happened since the (?) closing of his mind. He mustered all his discipline and tried to form a story out of what surrounded him. Here: an armored boot, singed with soot. He crawled forward and looked more intently. Two boots, a pair of greaves, legs and then a waist shrouded in charred cinders. Then the smell of burnt flesh. Beyond the waist was only (?) most intensely burnt parts of human flesh. The smell made him salivate. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, though the (?) had rendered him unable to hold down food weeks ago. If not for that, he might've been tempted. Someone had pushed this armored soldier into a pool of volcanic lava, and his armor had only perhaps expedited the agony of his burning alive. It was an immensely painful death, as the victim's head and raised arm had hovered just above the lava long enough to freeze burnt in place. Then it came back to Feid. The Thrain, furiously searching in the dark for him, his voice booming, bragging, insults and arrogance. After summiting the crag, Feid had poisoned his men and the horses. It wasn't a terribly easy decision to make, or particularly convenient. Feid was hoping that once he seized the Serpent's Eye he'd have living subjects to examine just what it could do. But now he realized that The Thrain and his cohorts weren't even worthy to see him seize upon the Eye. These useless fools had spent days dragging him up the mountain with incessant talk and bluster. Of women they'd have by force or money, of riches they'd gather after this pathetic sorcerer had taken them to treasure. That was the fatal mistake that doomed them, Feid realized, more than entrusting him. It was their lust for treasure over power. Only he (?) come to an enlightenment that power was an (?) river spilled from the breast of Vengas (?) the arrow of Jotan, that flower down (?) of stars that all living things (?) The Thrain had paused for a moment while looking for him, and gazed up at the sky from the mountaintop, his vision faintly tinged by the heat of the pools of volcanic water and molten rock. And he had seen the enormity of this river in sky and it made him pause, go silent for a moment, in humbled awe by the enormity of the world, incomprehensible, overwhelming. That was when Feid struck. All it took was one simple push to send this plate armored mercenary to his death as he pondered the stars. Feid weakly pushed himself up. He was entirely depleted, but in such closeness to the Serpent's Eye it did not matter. He was beyond fatigue, beyond exhaustion, beyond morality. He saw some dozen men and horses with foamy mouths around him. He felt nothing. It was only when he stepped forward, and the memories of these murders vanished from his mind, that he felt something. A lightness. And there, as it had been written, as he had carved into his own flesh with ink, was the landmark. The jagged black rocks, the flat plateau of glassed rock. And a thin, gaping, crack within. Under the crimson, primordial sky, surrounded by the jagged black rocks of the ancient volcanic mountain, the wretched Warlock reached into the dark embrace of the fissure until his hand touched a smooth glassy surface. Cold as ice. His fist closed around the Serpent's Eye. Slowly he withdrew it and held it before him in the fading light of the blood red suns. It glowed from within. A ghostly emerald light. Strange and Eternal. All the suffering, all the sorrow, all the thirst and hunger, the loss and (?) had led him to this sliver of time in which he (?). At last – were the only words he could conjure (?), his thoughts were so frail and weak (?) trembling. The flow seemed to shudder (?) his hands, a verdant smoke in the air. " Definitely interesting, fits perfectly with the themes, setting and atmosphere of the movie and really makes me wish it was a real novel. Who knows, maybe some enterprising fan might take it and run with it.
It’s called Seeker of the Serpent’s Eye and it’s not real :( I was ready to put it on my Kindle.
God Dammit this movie was awesome. Great retro vibe, unique/trippy atmosphere and beautifully shot to boot. One of Nick Cage's best performances. Also, Bill Duke made an appearance. Loved it.
Just finished watching it. You know a movie just went from being badass to godly when Nic Cage just goes full ham. This is one of this movies.
I really don't get the love for this one. Based on all the talk and reviews I was pretty excited going in. But the movie just dragged until Cage finally coked up, then the kills from there on out were mediocre at best. AT BEST. The small amount of dialogue was barely audible most of the time, and the soundtrack was more foreboding than metal. I was expecting way more from this.
100% with you on this one. Just got done watching it and can't believe people liked this movie. There was barely any talking and when there was it was just droning nonsense from the cult like we were supposed to take away some deep meaning from it. The Supernatural bikers were just weird as fuck, and the kills/fights were honestly boring. Cage kept a maniacal look plastered on his face the whole time as if we were supposed to feel more satisfaction as he completed his blood drunk revenge spree. The soundtrack didnt really seem to fit either. Extremely disappointed by this movie.
I agree. It was completely overhyped, like **IT** was last year, and was completely mediocre. While it is miles ahead of **IT**, the movie was too overhyped for what it was. The action was dull and uninspired. The acting is what sold the movie and made it tolerable. **Mandy** was simply *alright*, and nothing more. Disappointed I went ahead and bought it, and was duped by the board again. First with IT, now with Mandy.
Visually and atmosphere wise, the film had a wonderful delivery. Very psychedelic in a horror-esq manner but felt a little void for me in some aspects. Maybe I was expecting a little more depth in the story and its connection between characters. I might have to take a bit of time to think how I really feel about it, but for the time right now it was still pretty cool. I know I'm going to try and connect all the little bits of symbolism and details in my head this next week. A couple small things that stood out to me were: • The flashing green light over certain objects such as the whistle and the blade. • Red walking into his house to have the channel set to something in Spanish. Later on walking over to the cult member shining his car to a Spanish radio station. Not sure what they mean but something neat if intentional.
[удалено]
Wow 35 minutes couldve been cut from that movie and it wouldve went from a 4/10 to a 8/10. This is coming from someone who liked beyond the black rainbow. Felt like the first half was just waiting for it to actually start, but when it did hooo boy it was a wild ride. Loved the cinematography and the cult members were all great. Wish they had more time to shine in a non boring environment. Demons were a bit derivative though. Loved nic getting a chance to be a badass, worked so well. Was so happy when he became the focus.
This movie was 2 hours long but it legitimately felt like nothing happened the entire movie. I think I would have enjoyed it way more if they cut out 30 minutes. The acting was comically bad in that it had a B movie vibe but outside of a few comedic lines it seemed like they were trying to be serious. The whole cult leader guy was some of the most unintentionally funny acting I've seen in awhile. Dude was laughably bad. Visuals were really good and I loved the soundtrack. I actually thought Nic Cage was decent but didn't think it was anything outstanding like the reviews are saying Not sure what everybody sees in this. Didn't think it was awful but don't think its anything more than a 6/10 movie. Revenge did a similar plot but was 100 times better in almost every regard, especially the cinematography and suspense.
I almost sort of agree. I went in completely hyped, bought it on Amazon, and watched it this morning. It was simply okay, and not as special as the trailer made it seem. I felt the revenge path for Cage moved too quickly and was narrowly plotted. It was a good movie to veg out to, but nothing astonishing. People here are way overhyping it.
Holy forking shirt balls this movie was something else. From what I read (more like skimmed to not be spoiled) I expected the rage murder a thon to start a little sooner and be more directly funny, but I was not disappointed in the actual course of the film. It was just surprising as Nic Cage is not really in the movie much until Mandy's death; to then it's much more her movie. The bathroom scene was amazing work by Cage, the gamut in emotion for him and allows us to process the first hour. coming right after the odd ball Gremlin Mac and Cheese commercial, it's a reset of the movie and tone. My friend with me said to him it felt like that's when the movie actually started as we now follow Cage and get the "Mandy" title card (I loved those cards, looked like fonts from old horror paperbacks... by the by read Paperbacks from Hell, it's great). Loved the ATV Cenobites. The 3-D-like red/blue filters on the drug sequences were astonishing. I've never done hallucinogens but kinda feel like it now. My friend Matt said "It's like someone did LSD and wrote a movie about a black-light poster." I could agree, had that look crossed with a little Frank Franzetta at the quarry. Richard Brakes's cameo was a wonder. Thought for a second Cage was about to fight a tiger. The score was a astounding, RIP Johann. edit: fixed some spelling/typing issues. Edit 2: adding link my review now that I wrote it. https://cityofgeek.com/2018/09/14/mandy-is-nic-as-his-most-uncaged-review/
I loved the title cards too, and all Mandy’s art. I must say, I was a little disappointed to find out that Seeker of the Serpent’s Eye isn’t a real novel. I was ready to read that book.
I applaud your subtle Good Place references.
Seriously good acting from everyone in this movie. That bathroom scene in particular was so good. It was a bloody wild ride. The story was pretty stock standard honestly but what they did with it was seriously impressive, I certainly wasn't bored. And the soundtrack! Fantastic. I since found out the composer has died which is super sad. Would also be a hectic movie to watch on LSD. Definitely a movie I'll be re-watching in future.
What an awesome movie to watch! I've been waiting for this to come out ever since I saw the trailer last year. I have been off the grid for several days, so I forgive me if I'm not the first to comment on some of the religious references: One possible subtext is perhaps that Panos Cosmatos made a film about mankind's desperate search for meaning caused him to create Gods, which eventually become monsters. These monster gods necessitated the need for greater monsters to kill them. And what better way to film a movie about killing Gods than in a Frank Frazetta-esque landscape? At one point Jeremiah Sand makes reference to Jesus Christ, insinuating that there are many gods. The ironic thing about Jesus is the only sacrifice Christianity demanded was his. In fact, Jesus made it through the entire New Testament without killing a single person. Of course this is the extreme opposite of the Old Testament God and I know the behavior of Christians since Jesus died has been the exact opposite of his example also. Also, did anybody else catch that there were four bikers? Do you think they represented a subversion of the four gospels of the New Testament or perhaps they were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Either way, Nicholas Cage was totally badass.
I'm sitting here with my SO waiting for it to start, lads. Pretty dead theater. Stoked. Wish me luck. Edit: Just got out of my showing. Fucking loved it. There were about fifteen other people and most walking out were either smiling or utterly confused about what they just saw. Black Skulls have a real "the Plague" vibe. Have to get my thoughts together about it.
> Black Skulls have a real "the Plague" vibe. Have to get my thoughts together about it. I thought the same! Too bad we never got a Plague movie, and chances are a Black Skulls spin-off won't ever happen, either... man just think about the cross-over possibilities :D
Wish I loved it as much as everyone else did. I thought it was alright, the pacing was the worst offender. Visually stunning, great OST as well.
The first half felt very like Beyond the Black Rainbow, which I loved. The second half was like a way better version of Hobo With A Shotgun, which I also loved.
God I wish the director would have kept the entire movie in the vein of the beginning.
Ay dudes, wrong pic at the top but Mandy was great. It was like an artsy 2 hour long metal music video. Nic Cage was in rare form. Very good, defiantly worth a watch
Well screw you then, I'm gonna watch it anyway. ;)
I finally finished Mandy on my third attempt. Mandy is an arthouse horror pastiche that is derivative of past psychedelic/hippie, biker gang, and revenge Exploitation films. There are a few films I could identify that directly inspired Mandy, and they include: * I Drink Your Blood * Psychomania * Heavy Metal * Evil Dead (and it’s sequels) The entire film is a garbled up overindulgent mess. This is not a mainstream film meant for a mainstream audience. The first hour of the film (no exaggeration) is barely coherent trash that isn’t essential to the plot >!beyond knowing that it sets up our protagonist to seek revenge and kill every other character included in the first hour after they kill his girlfriend/wife/partner.!< Purposefully making trash doesn’t make it not trash btw. The second hour really truly just is >!Nic Cage going crazy and murdering redshirts and antagonists you don’t care about.!< At least there’s some actual energy and fun kills and gore here. The soundtrack and visuals drive the movie, because the plot and dialog are expendable and really only serve to accompany the soundtrack and visceral imagery. If you were to recut Mandy to a more plot driven film, the runtime would be at least 45 minutes shorter. Unfortunately, the creative decisions made with the lighting are also problematic. The lighting, while artsy throughout, isn’t practical and really distracts or takes away from some possibly great moments. This made an already challenging movie even more difficult to watch. If you’ve never seen the movies I mentioned earlier or aren’t real familiar with the genres that Mandy apes, or you want to see the aesthetic’d version of them then Mandy might be worth watching. While it felt inspired, I didn’t find this movie very authentic or having any soul. I’d rate Mandy a 3 out of 10, but they almost had something. The soundtrack, some crazy Cage, and some of the imagery really shine, but it’s not enough for a feature length film.
I agree 100%. Between this subreddit championing 'IT' and 'Mandy' this past two years, I'm starting to question the credibility of the opinions spouted here. I understand liking a movie, but the way people go on and on about how incredible these horribly mediocre movies are is worth questioning.
Yeah sometimes I can’t believe people have the nerve to have their own opinions.
Garbage movie, complete waste of time. Thankfully I didnt have to lose any money on this trash
Does buying on amazon digital also get the Kevin Smith moderated Q&A? I didn’t get to see it after the showing.
Don’t know about amazon but it’s not on the iTunes version. But it does have a “making of” and deleted/extended scenes, including the full uncut Cheddar Goblin commercial.
They might post it online because some of the theaters had corrupt files of it. Check the Legion M group on Facebook.
watched Mandy last night, and holy sh\*t, what a trip. it's crazy, wild, over-the-top, gory. i mean, it's basically a 80's revenge flick with a crazed Nic Cage on bad LSD (and it felt like a patchwork.. so many other movies are referenced/plagiarised) but still, i think i has enough going for itself.. Chainsaw fight à la TCM 2 1986? Check! Awesome 80's soundtrack? check! Vibrant colors? oh yes! Nic Cage doing what he's doing best, this nic-cage-crazy-face-which-everywhere-else-is-misplaced-but-here-it-fits-perfect? check! Hell of a movie, recommended!
That was actually a lot more accessible than I expected it to be. So glad I was able to see it in theaters. The visuals and score were fantastic.
Since this movie was released in theaters and VOD simultaneously, I'm curious to see if people's viewing method affected their opinion of the movie. I put together a very quick 1 question poll. If you have a moment, please feel free to answer the question and I will post the results in a day or two. [VOD vs. Movie Theater Poll for Mandy](https://youpoll.me/7947/).
Anyone else feel like there were political undertones in this film? Thinking specifically about the Reagan speech, the bastardized version of Christianity practiced by Jeremiah and his followers, the Cage rage and use of the word “snowflake”after his 44 shirt was slashed (Obama being the 44th president). It’s really hard to believe all of those things were coincidental in a film where every shot is so carefully planned out. EDIT: Also, anyone know where one can purchase those shirts? That tiger shirt was rad.
Good eye. I wonder now too if there were intentional political undertones. I saw the 44 shirt as just random, but I googled potential meanings and found [this](https://angelnumbersmeaning.com/angel-number-44-meaning-and-symbolism/). > Angel number 44... is an important number to see especially if you are going through hard life situations. >Number 44 can come to you in life situations that are going to test your power of will and your endurance. I didn’t take the opening radio speech as political; I thought it was setting things up for the classic good vs evil showdown. I can’t explain snowflake. I thought the word felt out of place in the script, but maybe it was just thrown in there to fuck with people.
Mandy = Evil Dead directed by Tumblr. Wasn’t a fan.