The Neon Demon
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | Nicolas Winding Refn (director), Mary Laws (screenwriter), Polly Stenham (screenwriter) |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
| Products | Psychological horror film |
The Neon Demon is a 2016 psychological horror art film helmed by director Nicolas Winding Refn, with a screenplay co-authored by Mary Laws, Polly Stenham, and Refn himself. The film features Elle Fanning in the lead role, portraying a young model whose striking beauty ignites both admiration and jealousy within the Los Angeles fashion scene. The ensemble cast also includes Karl Glusman, Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote, Abbey Lee, Desmond Harrington, Christina Hendricks, and Keanu Reeves.
Produced through an international collaboration between France, Denmark, and the United States, the movie was in competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. This marked Refn’s third straight film to compete following Drive (2011) and Only God Forgives (2013). Distributed in the U.S. by Amazon Studios and Broad Green Pictures, it premiered on June 24, 2016. Critical reception was divided: while Refn’s direction, the performances of Malone and Fanning, Martinez’s musical score, and Braier’s cinematography received acclaim, the screenplay and explicit content faced notable critique. Financially, the film earned $3.6 million against a $7.5 million budget.
Plot
After her parents die under mysterious circumstances, sixteen-year-old Jesse leaves her small Georgian hometown to pursue modeling opportunities in Los Angeles. There, she encounters photographer Dean who conducts her initial photo session, as well as makeup artist Ruby who introduces her to seasoned models Gigi and Sarah—both intrigued by Jesse’s looks and fabricated claims of sexual experience.
Jesse is signed by Roberta Hoffman, head of a modeling agency, who advises her to claim she is nineteen years old and arranges a test shoot with photographer Jack McCarther. That night, Dean expresses sincere affection towards Jesse. When she returns to her motel, she discovers damage caused by a cougar; although Hank, the motel proprietor, demands payment for repairs, Dean steps in to cover the expenses.
During the shoot with McCarther, Jesse applies gold paint over her nude body; the session’s success fuels resentment from Gigi and Sarah. At a casting call for designer Robert Sarno, Sarno dismisses Sarah but becomes captivated by Jesse’s appearance. Driven by jealousy, Sarah attacks Jesse, resulting in an injured hand and subsequent hallucinations for Jesse.
At Sarno’s fashion show, Gigi discusses cosmetic surgery with Jesse. As the event concludes, Jesse experiences vivid hallucinations. Later at a bar, Sarno admires Jesse’s unaltered beauty in contrast to Gigi’s surgical enhancements, emphasizing that physical allure holds ultimate importance. Dean finds this perspective disturbing and attempts to leave with Jesse, who instead adopts an increasingly narcissistic attitude.
Jesse suffers nightmares involving Hank forcing her to swallow a knife. Awakening to sounds of an assault on a nearby young girl, she contacts Ruby for assistance. At Ruby’s residence, Ruby makes sexual advances; Jesse reveals her virginity and repels Ruby’s attempt. Afterward, Ruby—who works at a morgue—engages in necrophilic behavior.
Ruby returns home where Gigi and Sarah join her in attacking Jesse. The trio pursues Jesse into an empty pool where they brutally kill her and consume parts of her body before bathing themselves in her blood. Ruby cleans the pool carelessly then lies naked in Jesse’s unmarked grave as blood flows from her genitals beneath moonlight.
The following day at Jack’s photo shoot featuring model Annie, Jack becomes infatuated with Sarah and dismisses Annie from the session. Suddenly Gigi falls ill and vomits one of Jesse's eyeballs. Sarah stabs herself to extract it but watches as Gigi dies; she then consumes the eyeball before resuming work.
In the closing credits scene, a woman clad in Sarah’s jacket is seen walking alone through the Mojave Desert.
Production
On October 22, 2013, it was revealed that Nicolas Winding Refn's next project after Only God Forgives would be an "all-female horror" film initially titled I Walk with the Dead, set either in Miami or Tokyo, with Carey Mulligan attached to star and a screenplay by Polly Stenham. By November 3, 2014, Refn’s production company Space Rocket Nation, together with co-financiers Gaumont Film Company and Wild Bunch, announced the finalized title as The Neon Demon, with principal photography planned for early 2015 in Los Angeles. Refn shared that the idea stemmed from contemplating beauty through his wife's perspective, intending to delve into its nuances rather than merely criticize it.
In January 2015, Dazed reported that the screenplay was inspired by the story of Elizabeth Báthory. Co-written by Refn and Mary Laws, this film represented a departure from his typical focus on violent male characters, shifting towards a female-driven storyline. The lead role was given to Elle Fanning after production moved to Los Angeles, influenced by his wife's preference to avoid shooting in Asia. Refn described the movie as an "adult fairy tale."
Casting
Elle Fanning was cast on January 6, 2015, portraying a young model confronting the perilous facets of beauty. Fanning caught director Nicolas Winding Refn’s attention through his wife, who admired her previous performances. On January 29, Abbey Lee joined the ensemble as Sarah. By early February, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Jena Malone, and Bella Heathcote were confirmed as part of the cast. Later, on March 17, 2015, Karl Glusman was announced,[1] followed by the addition of Desmond Harrington on March 30.[2]
Filming
Principal photography commenced on March 30, 2015, in Los Angeles,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name utilizing locations such as downtown Los Angeles and an authentic motel in Pasadena for select scenes. The film's cinematography was led by Natasha Braier.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Soundtrack
Composer Cliff Martinez, who had previously collaborated with Refn on Drive, indicated that The Neon Demon shares musical similarities with their earlier work, featuring a "minimal electronic score." He described the film’s first half as reminiscent of melodramas like Valley of the Dolls, while its latter portion evokes the tone of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Influences for the soundtrack include artists such as Giorgio Moroder, Goblin, Kraftwerk, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream.
The soundtrack was released by Milan Records on June 24, 2016, available both digitally and in physical formats, with a vinyl edition following on July 8, 2016. Notably, singer Sia contributed an original track titled "Waving Goodbye". At the Cannes Soundtrack Awards in 2016, Martinez received recognition as best composer for his work on this film.
Additionally, Refn’s nephew Julian Winding contributed two songs: "Demon Dance" and "Mine", performed by his group Sweet Tempest. In 2017, an album featuring songs that inspired The Neon Demon, personally curated by Refn, was released under the title The Wicked Die Young.
Release
In November 2015, Amazon Studios secured the U.S. distribution rights for the film, collaborating with Broad Green Pictures. Distribution in France was overseen by The Jokers, while Scanbox Entertainment took charge of the Danish market. The film made its debut at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 20, followed by theatrical releases in France on June 8, Denmark on June 9, and a nationwide U.S. launch on June 24, 2016. Home media editions on DVD and Blu-ray were released on September 27, 2016.
Critical response
The Neon Demon garnered a polarized critical reception. Much like Refn’s previous film Only God Forgives, it elicited both jeers and applause during its Cannes screening. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 59% approval rating derived from 261 reviews, with an average score of 6/10. The site’s consensus praises its visually striking style but critiques the storyline and character depth. Meanwhile, Metacritic assigns it a score of 51 out of 100, reflecting mixed or average opinions.
Mark Kermode of The Guardian awarded the film four stars, commending Refn’s distinctive direction and Jena Malone’s strong acting. Robbie Collin from The Daily Telegraph gave it five stars, emphasizing its surreal and challenging imagery. Tirdad Derakhshani of The Philadelphia Inquirer described it as a "brutal masterpiece," lauding Refn as an audacious auteur. Rene Rodriguez of The Miami Herald praised its visual flair and experimental approach, rating it three out of four stars.
Natasha Stagg interpreted the film through the lens of René Girard’s mimetic desire theory, proposing that its commercial underperformance was due to being "too close to its own target." Owen Gleiberman of Variety labeled it a mesmerizing horror piece set within the fashion industry but noted deficiencies in narrative cohesion. Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter dismissed it as a "stultifyingly vapid" commentary on modeling culture, while Glenn Kenny of The New York Times criticized it as derivative despite its striking visuals.
Tim Robey of The Telegraph described it as the "most offensive film of the year," particularly condemning a necrophilia scene as exploitative, though he acknowledged Malone’s dedicated performance.
Despite the divided opinions, the French publication Cahiers du cinéma ranked The Neon Demon as the third-best film released in 2016.