Nicolas Winding Refn’s next feature sparked our curiosity right from its first announcement. Can you blame us? Described by the helmer as “a horror movie about vicious beauty,” there was no way The Neon Demon wasn’t going to remain on our radar.
Over the years, we’ve learned bits and pieces about Refn’s plans, right up until the recent news that Amazon had snatched up the rights for a theatrical and streaming release after its Cannes debut. And what better way to really make an announcement than by – finally – giving us a trailer!
In the movie, Elle Fanning stars as a young woman named Jane, who dreams of stardom as a professional model so relocates to Hollywood to kickstart her career. It’s only when she arrives in the City of Angels that the demons come out, as she’s immediately targeted by a group of savage women desperate for her youth and vitality. Sounds pretty spectacular, doesn’t it?
With that in mind, this first trailer delivers on a stylistic front. It doesn’t delve into plot details, or show any hints of story, instead opting for a moody preview that’s got a lot in common with Black Swan. In my eyes, that’s not a bad thing at all.
Joining Fanning for her foray into the seedy underbelly of LA are Keanu Reeves, Jena Malone, Christina Hendricks, Desmond Harrington, Jamie Clayton, Abbey Lee and Alessandro Nivola. The Neon Demon debuts at Cannes and will be released by Amazon Studios in theaters sometime later this year.
