On the fourteenth day of Halloween: THE NEON DEMON (2016)
Today is the one year anniversary of signing my contract with Chicago Review Press to write Much Ado About Keanu: Toward a Critical Reeves Theory! In honor of this momentous day in my career, let’s shallow dive into Keanu’s most horrifying movie to date.
Directed by auteur Nicolas Winding Refn, The Neon Demon (2016) is one of the most stunningly styled and lighted films ever. But all this beauty is a front for some of the most intense depravity you’ll experience outside of a Cronenberg body horror classic. This is not a movie for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.
Keanu Reeves plays a pedophile motel owner and one of his scenes resulted in me actually puking on myself. It’s arguably one of his most powerful performances. There’s nothing human here. Just a monster with Keanu’s face. Chilling. A testament to Reeves’ range and power as an actor. And his absolute fearlessness on screen.
And that’s before I even mention the lesbian necrophilia and oodles of cannibalism. I had nightmares for almost two weeks after this one.
The Neon Demon is for hardcore horror people. And Keanu Reeves completists like me who need to watch them all. Everyone else: Stay away from this one. Beautiful horror with a bite that can get infected really easily, and quickly. Be warned.
✨Saint Laurent/5 stars. Do not recommend being a young woman in Hollywood.✨
