The Neon Demon (2016)

Nicolas Winding Refn strikes gold (well, silver) after a slight misstep in Only God Forgives (2013), casting Elle Fanning as Jessica, a 16 year old who moves to Los Angeles to launch a career as a model. Refn presents it almost as a horror satire on the modelling world, in a way that Paul Verhoeven may have had more success with had he applied it to Showgirls ([1995] I still really like Showgirls). Neon Demon is blackly comedic and is often laugh out loud funny, pummeled by a pulsing score from the always brilliant Clint Martinez. There's no avoiding the inevitable influence of Argento's Suspiria (1977), but Refn uses that as a touch note rather than letting it fuel anything he's putting on screen, and there's no doubting his ability to intertwine the comedic with the horrific. Fanning is excellent in the lead role, bringing a genuine naivety to the character leading to our complete acceptance and understanding of the fascinating character arc that takes place throughout the film. 7.3/10