Mandy

Mandy is the most unusual horror movie of 2018 for me.

When the peaceful and recovering life of a reclusive couple in a secluded forest is disturbed insanely and supernaturally by demonic biker men and an occult cult with hippie culture, the wife is burned to death after an insult, and the husband is mentally broken.

This is unlike any other kind of horror movie out there, mainly because of the combination of it having a slow pace, but when you visually let the color red dominate, as well as subconsciously have the movie be a literal and figurative LSD trip, then it's hard to not be invested or devoted.

I cannot remember the last time that Nicolas Cage performed in a good movie, but at least here he strikes visually, and blends in with the color red, mainly because of the blood of his fallen victims during his revenge crusade, involving among other weapons a chainsaw.

A fair warning though; Mandy is easily recognizable as a movie not meant for everyone, or the general audience. As for me, I have seen plenty of crazy and surreal movies over a decade now, so it fits nice at home within that category, and seeming as it contains horror and gore, that's a bonus.

Linus Roache as the antagonist Jeremiah Sand is perhaps the character highlight, being a deluded preaching lunatic leader, and his most striking moment is during the LSD trip where he lets the wife listen towards his own composed psychedelic music, while giving a speech straight to the camera.

Mandy is a neo-noir grindhouse horror set during the 80's with a style of cinematography so abnormal that although the plot is easy to follow, the trippy and hallucinogenic imagery plus the pacing will keep you watching, even when the story is paused.

Rating: 7.0