Mandy was certainly a trip to the bottom of the pit. If ever there was a movie which will assuredly become a cult classic, it’s Mandy. Also, if there is such a genre as art-house supernatural horror, then Mandy would certainly feel right at home.
I went in expecting an above average horror-revenge flick, but by the time the credits rolled I realised Mandy had far exceeded my expectations and was groundbreaking in what it achieved as a cinematic piece of art. Oh and by the way; lay off any previews if you haven’t seen it. Watch it roar (misspelling and pun intended).
Viewing Mandy, for me at least, was like having a psychedelic experience. The movie’s imagery consistently reflects an other worldliness; a lucid dreaming state that is set to one of the best music scores I’ve heard in a long time. And I don’t even like Death Metal, but in this movie it was superbly propounded.
Not that Mandy is without it’s shortcomings such as an underwhelming and ‘slow’ first third, but that is soon forgotten by the waves of extraordinary scenes which follow. The tempo and unfolding of story is not unlike The Shining.
Now for Nicolas Cage: I never really dug his output perhaps since Adaptation, but he risks everything here and it pays huge dividends. You will remember his crazy eyes in ‘Face-off’, well he shits all over that in this performance. Mandy highlights just how in control he is of his craft. He truly embraces this like he is the last man.
Overall, it’s a very underappreciated movie from what was arguably a relatively lackluster year in cinema…2018. I think Mandy will become one of those unheralded gems and be embraced by cine-files for years to come.
The light shines through everything The light is true, the lessons learned His song of you and me When I was at the bottom of the pit...----From the movie script 'Mandy'
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I’ve seen this advertised…I’ll have to watch it. I like horror movies…I usually hate the endings but I’m a sucker for them.
I’m really picky about horror movies, in other words I don’t fall for too many. But Mandy was a pleasant surprise. The soundtrack was phenomenal and downloaded it soon after seeing it. I would also recommend another great ‘horror’ release in 2018 if you haven’t already seen it – ‘Hereditary’.
Yes I really liked the Hereditary…I will check Mandy out… it’s hard to find good ones.
I agree, they are few and far between. Let me know what you think of it. Hey, thanks for popping by. I always enjoy your blog posts. Cheers.
Thanks and I sure will…My son and I love to watch them…. I like the variety of your posts…
Thanks for your kind words.
Wow, can’t wait to see it based on your recommendation. The meme alone creeped me out!
Yeh, I love that meme! That actual scene in the movie evokes such a mixture of wild emotions too. Let me know what you think of it.
Thanks for popping in.
A friend of mine was in Cosmatos’s first film ‘Beyond The Black Rainbow’. You might enjoy that. I haven’t pulled the trigger on this one yet. Eventually just to see how he followed up the first one. Plus you found lots to like,
I have that film ‘The Black Rainbow’ ready to watch since it was suggested to me. I was wondering whether to watch that or the Korean movie ‘Parasite’ first. I went with the latter… unfortunately as it turns out.
When you give it a watch let me know what you think.
Sure thing
I’m adding this to my October list! Great review and recommendation!