Review of Mandy (2018) by Mary K — 04 Nov 2018

You have to see MANDY .

Message to Friend 1 after seeing Mandy:

Best acid trip I ever took.

There's too many words and not enough. Silence is precious among my running thoughts. I can't explain.

Really, go watch Mandy now. Make sure you have good sound.

Crazy f*cking movie; really really good. Amazing visuals, incredible sound, very little dialogue but none needed. Very simple story that scared the daylights out of me during the Mandy's trip scene. Gory, visceral, the power of love, good & evil. What the mind tells us to do even when the message is far-fetched or outright insane.

Most of all no Hollywood PC narrative to be found at all. What a gift!

Second recommendation to Friend 2:

By the way, you have to see this movie called Mandy.

It's... remember how back in the 80's we used to record ourselves on acid and it would be all gobbledegook when we'd play it back? Mandy is someone's trip and they remembered everything. In sequence. With the 12 Steps of storytelling. And shared it directly with the viewer. Like osmosis.

Use good sound if you watch it. It's amazing. Really good film. Fantasy/Horror.

Pays homage to:

Argento/ all his work.

Roger Corman /I Spit on Your Grave.

De Palma/ Scarface.

Sam Raimi/Evil Dead.

Oliver Stone/Natural Born Killers.

Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarentino/ Grindhouse.

Even Lord of The Rings with some of the set design. ( I'm thinking The Pits of Mordor and the fantasy aspect.).

Kubrik/ The Shining (Mandy is a dead look a like for Shelly Duval with more range in just 1 glance. Also, the bathroom scene is right out of The Shining.

Hints of Wes Anderson in some of the set design. I'm thinking of the warm hues in particular the bathroom scene.

Roman Polanski/ Rosemary's Baby, The Tenant (psychological horror).

Big shout out to Dracula (Cage's friend is Van Helping).

Shout out to the 1980"s and the 80's the age of Satanic killings in America.

Just well done film. I'd give it 5 stars but there were some moments that lagged. It's a minor thing. I'd give 4 1/2 stars if that was an option..

Go see this film!