The Neon Demon

2016 Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Beauty is vicious.

When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.

Elle Fanning Jena Malone Desmond Harrington Bella Heathcote Karl Glusman Abbey Lee Christina Hendricks Keanu Reeves Charles Baker Jamie Clayton Stacey Danger Rebecca Dayan Helen Wilson Houda Shretah Taylor Hill Vanessa Martinez Jason Schneidman Rachel Dik Jodie Turner-Smith Lily Moffett Charlize Cotton Allie Lewis Cody Renee Cameron Georgia Fowler Dani Seitz Steve Murillo Alysse Reynolds Autumn Alderson Lucy Cronkite Show All…

Alternative Title

שד הניאון

horror thriller

118 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Karsten Runquist ★★★½ 16

Nicolas Winding Refn’s films are always really good until the characters start saying things.
Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★½ 69

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

K, time for an actual capsule review:
The Neon Demon is an effective, albeit deeply disturbing commentary on physical artificiality and the social construction of beauty as the chief significance in not only the entertainment and fashion industries, but in life, relationships, everything. Needless to say, it's not for the faint of heart; prepare for the utilization of cannibalism and necrophilia as metaphor. Yeah.
Review by Rembrandt Q Pumpernickel ★ 26

Can anyone confirm that Refn has actually met a person?
Review by Evan ★★★★★ 38

The Neon Demon is a lot of things. Transcendent, hypnotic, and stylish are a few words that come to mind. This film had me hooked from the beginning credit sequence and it never let me go. I'm still kind of in a daze to be honest. Every frame of The Neon Demon is executed to absolute perfection. I cannot give the visuals enough praise. Honestly this is one of the best looking films I have ever seen. It's a five-course meal for the eyes. Also, the soundtrack/score is incredible. I RARELY buy a film's soundtrack and when I say rarely I mean never but I have already purchased the soundtrack from Amazon. Elle Fanning and Jenna Malone were both fantastic.…
Review by BRAT ★★ 13

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

tbh idk how to feel about this movie. the Predatory Lesbian trope, the extremely unecessary (offscreen but heard) rape of a 13 yr old girl, necrophilia purely for shock value .. YIKE!! the colors + lighting + motifs were absolutely beautiful & i honestly think this is the most aesthetically gorgeous movie ever made but does that offset the misogyny + homophobia? when it ended i felt ambivalent. when my friend & i first began discussing it over bubble tea i loved it. then i began to hate it. on the car ride home i loved it again. right now, im pretty sure i hate it. i haven't stopped thinking about the morals of this movie since i saw it yesterday so at least it accomplishes that.

EDIT: i've thought about it for a few months & i officially dislike it
Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★½ 45

booooooooooooo
what a terrible film
booooooooooooo
all style, no substance
booooooooooooo
it's not social commentary;
it's misogyny
booooooooooooo
brb gonna go scream
at the screen some more
booooooooooooo
god won't forgive this one, Refn
booooooooooooo
(far cry from your previous films, Elle... shit escalated quickly for ya. also, Cliff composed what is probably one of the best scores since the likes of Goblin)
booooooooooooo
Review by nathaxnne ★★★★½ 33

P U R E T E R R O R

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is Nicolas Winding Refn's favorite movie. This is not immaterial to what follows. To discover that you are within a universe of fear, of unstoppable dread, of the total loss of agency. A universe made from rules inimical to your well-being, a universe that will consume you whole with extreme malevolence, indifferent or pleasured by your confusion, your suffering. In some movies there is a sense of fair play, of an unwritten contract with the audience, that if a level of engagement or trust is placed in the hands of the film, the film will reward or pay off that assumed trust by delivering a satisfying…
Review by Todd Gaines ★★ 79

Visually, NWR's The Neon Demon is a masterpiece of color. Flashing lights. Beautiful people everywhere you look. Long extended shots, and a shock factor for the ages. So, why the low score? While realism isn't important in all movies I watch. I need to connect to someone or something while watching a movie. The Neon Demon has zero realism and is about as shallow as Shallow Hal.
NWR doesn't care. He made the movie he wanted to make. I'm sure he's as happy as a kid in a candy store. I get it. A movie about the shallow world of modeling. The way the characters move and look at each other reminds you of a 2 hour fashion show. But,…
Review by single white femalien ½ 50

for a film so obsessed with aesthetics this movie is really fucking ugly and vile, and not in the way i think refn intended. i dont think men are capable of critiquing the cult of beauty in any meaningful way and i think this is straight up evil, misogynistic trash.
tw violent/suicidal thoughts: also sorry sometimes i love boring-ass movies where fuckall happens but this made me want to roast my own head over an open fire. do you ever have nightmares where you're trapped in one place and it's impossible to escape so the only option is to fucking kill yourself? this is what that was for me. jesus.
Review by DirkH ★ 35

Shiny, shiny turd squeezed through Testosterone's sphincter after a copious meal of hot air.
Review by 🔮 dana danger 🔮 ★ 16

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

this is a terrible movie. it is deeply condescending and moralizing yet shallow and misogynistic, all at once. it glorifies stylized violence, and then refuses to own up to its own violence (seriously, you're gonna have a cannibal scene and not show any violence, but DO have a very long, male gaze shower scene with two models?). it screams about the exploitation of women, yet constantly mocks the character with plastic surgery and features the violent rape of 13-year-old runaway for No Legitimate Reason. this is a movie where everyone raves about how beautiful and magnetic the main character is, but she is given absolutely no defining characteristics whatsoever (sure, that could be the point, but WHY). this is the…
Review by Charlie Nash ★★★★½ 6

Shout-out to the old woman who walked out during the final scene yelling, "This movie is for SICK PEOPLE!"

Recent reviews

Review by Noah ★★★½

This is what my grandparents believe Hollywood is like
Review by Armela ★★½

where tf did keanu reeves go tho
Review by FinleysOpinion ★★

I wanna like this movie so bad but there’s just so many moral issues with it.
Review by Sean B ★★★½

Style over substance. But that style, oh man that style.
Review by Austin! ★★★★

I watched this movie a while ago and rewatched it again more recently. It was one of my first introductions to really interesting and bold cinematography. The story does get a little muddy and weird in parts, but (to me) that just adds to the appeal. This really harrowing movie is accompanied by these beautiful, vibrant shots that sorta take your breath away.
Review by natalie2811 ★★★

such nice visuals but the story was a little all over the place i love u elle fanning
Review by Diego Ciaschetti ★★★★½

Questi occhi stanno per non essere lavati per i prossimi 4 anni
Review by spacepineapple ★★

This movie traumatized me..I think I didn't get it.. 😔😔
Review by Arthur Moreira ★★★½

Um dos meus filmes preferidos
Estética minimalista , roteiro visual beirando a perfeição, afinal estamos todos expostos ao demônio de neon, não existe inocência mais
Review by sofi☽❤︎ ★★★½

i can taste the colors of this movie. aesthetically very pleasing. but the bitch didn't bite the eye, she just swallowed it? anyways.
Review by Michaelj8495 ★

As hollow and shallow as the subject matter. While the industry that these girls take part in create several damaging issues for youths, this is never tackled as well as it could be due to questionable performance and script choices. There are some beautiful visuals to be found.
Review by jjfallas ★★★★

What did I just experience?! That ending was actually amazing but so insane