Curse of The Neon Demon

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In this installment of Nightmare Masterclass, I analyze the film The Neon Demon, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. I saw The Neon Demon shortly after its limited release last June, and my initial reaction to the film was one of ambivalence. I recently revisited the film, and have come to the conclusion that there's a deeper significance underneath the film's slick visuals.
Refn is perhaps best known for his 2011 film Drive, a crime drama starring Ryan Gosling. The film was praised up and down for its stylish foray into neo-noir cinema. As evidenced by Refn’s follow up, an obtuse and inaccessible film called Only God Forgives, and now The Neon Demon, the man has a penchant for taking certain risks in his movies. That is a good thing in my book.
And since this is my first foray into cinema, I will disclose right off the bat that I am not a film critic, nor am I particularly well versed in film theory. But I do think that I have a unique take on this film, and that's why I wanted to share it. Put simply, there is more going on in this film than it seems many viewers are noticing.
The film isn't perfect, but Refn should be praised for his continual effort to make unconventional, daring films. I'd also be remiss without acknowledging the great work of Natasha Braier, the film's cinematographer.
Nicolas Winding Refn, Elle Fanning and Abbey Lee On "The Neon Demon" | BUILD Series:
• Nicolas Winding Refn, ...
The Neon Demon - Nicolas Winding Refn-Storytellers | Blu-ray Extras
• Video
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Questions, comments, and suggestions go to [e-mail].

[@sumanoskae]

The plot of this film is not "underdeveloped", it is minimalist. This isn't a thriller, it's a fable, a fairytale. In most modern storytelling, theme is emergent from plot, but in the symbolic world of the fairytale, plot is subservient to theme. Take the mountain lion scene: the point of it is to convey the presence of a ravenous, violent being. That's it. It has virtually no plot significance because The Neon Demon is not chiefly concerned with with plot. The symbolic and archetypal associations the film evokes in the minds of it's audience; those are the real story.

[@daynachapin2457]

This actually ISNT a fairytale

[@discobiscuits4251]

I think the mountain lion was Ruby transformed because she is a witch, and they are performing a ritual on her:

[@DjangoPorter]

@@daynachapin2457 yes it is a fairytale according to 3rd definition of the word faifytale

[@atinyevil1383]

I love this movie so much that I watched the film with commentary from Elle and Refn. It’s very revealing in what the true story actually is. I’d inferred a lot of the underlying narrative with the coven of witches, but I didn’t know the full extent of it until I listened to the commentary. Refn implied that the film isn’t necessarily about Jesse at all, but about The Neon Demon itself and what it takes to become the demon.

[@hannahmellon9141]

The film sounds like it is infected with an eating disorder. 28:47 about reflexively "hating itself" and being obsessed with beauty is the essential core of an ED patient's thought process. That, and all the subliminal ideas such as "are you sex or food" (being attractive to others or being nourishing for others), people being fascinated with an unspecified "thing" that you'll never have, eating someone beautiful to terminate them and absorb their looks, and even taking that obsession to the grave (corpses are depicted as being "sex" for the makeup artist, but we never see any "food" corpses). It hits too close to home. This is one of those things I would have found sickly inspiring during the peak of my ED.

[@sawyerreign6628]

Dunno if anyone gives a shit but if you are bored like me atm you can watch all the latest movies and series on InstaFlixxer. Have been streaming with my brother for the last few months :)

[@AutumnintheNorth]

The concept of Sarah, and to a lesser extent Gigi, killing and eating their modeling rivals really reminds me of the myth of the wendigo, which slots into the "adult fairytale" idea. The wendigo is a First Nations legend where someone who cannibalizes another person "steals their strength," taking their spirit into themselves along with the flesh. However, this trangression curses them to become a wendigo, a fearsome creature with an eternal, all-consuming hunger for human flesh that cannot ever be satisfied. No matter how many people the wendigo eats, the hunger grows even more severe, driving the cursed victim mad. At the end of the film, we see that Gigi (who has beautified herself with plastic surgery) is literally unable to stomach this method and stabs herself with the scissors to "get her out." Conversely, Sarah (who has not had plastic work done) merely eats the eyeball and walks back to the shoot, implying that she used *other* methods to improve her looks and further her career, methods that will leave her forever hungry for more. I'd love to see your take on the contrast between the wendigo myth in this film and "Ravenous" (1999) with Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle. Food for thought, perhaps?

[@firetarrasque4667]

To be fair, Wendigos are only "adult" tales now. They were originally intended for children.

[@ceilingeye]

As a person assigned female at birth, this film made PERFECT sense to me upon first viewing. I couldn’t explain it, but it just made,,,, sense. I knew it was about this pressure that comes from womanhood in society. The essential question of being food or sex, the feeling that conversations with women are chess games and thinly veiled threats, being taken advantage of, and the change from doe-eyed and trusting to well,,,, a neon demon.

[@allisonventures7268]

“Assigned female at birth”. Such an unnecessary detail

[@demsleysaimoon9982]

Actually, Jessie responded to her male friend ''I dont wanna be them, THEY want to be me''.

[@DarkDisguise]

Nice analysis! I think its pretty bizarre how people could miss the point of the whole parody schpiel of hollywood, its glitter and glamour. Seems like its really the easy way out to just say "this provokes me, I hate it, the director sucks, the movie sucks". Its like a knee jerk reaction to show that you don't stand for the message, a rejection of that thinking. Maybe the scary part is that the movie kinda shows, in a very fantasy-like setting, the most horrible thing of the world, and that is that beauty is the only thing, as quoted from the movie. And even worse, those who react so harshly gets abrubtly awaken, and might realize they've felt for the trick, and wants to go back to that comforting sleep. Rambeling a lot here, but like you said, I think that's why these kind of films are important, thought provoking works to shake us up, and give as a taste of the worst, in order to know what is real, and even what is wrong and right. Thumbs up again for a nice analysis!

[@dieharddemon8745]

I've seen this movie twice and plan on watching it again. It has so many hidden brilliant meanings. And every shot in this film is beautiful.....dark but beautiful.

[@sole__doubt]

The most horrifying beautiful movie ever. It only gets better with age.

[@TheHackersboss]

A criminally underrated film. Good to see it get some attention.

[@adversty7367]

14:14 Everybody gangsta till the eyeballs come back up

[@buddha8910]

Ruby, Sarah, and Gigi do literally 'consume' Jesses beauty. I remember thinking that when I watched the film. I also recall when Jesse said her mother thought she was dangerous. Its something my own mother has said about people over the years. And people ARE dangerous, without a doubt. However I think her mother [and it proved to be literally dangerous for Jesse] was meaning that her beauty would get her in trouble both from jealous girlfriends and boyfriends wanting possession of her, AND her beauty. But did Jesse think that it meant something entirely different? That she could outshine AND outwit her opponents ? As she stood on the edge of the pool, she was literally placing herself in the lions mouth, she totally underestimated the other women. I see Jesse as this naïve girl, a lamb to the slaughter...in the cut throat business of the beauty industry. I did enjoy this films quirkiness and attention to detail. While the plot was not complicated there are lots of hidden depths to this film.

[@alisonmitchell5414]

Does anyone else think those 3 women reminded you of Gigi, Kendall, and Bella? Remember when the 3 of them constantly hung out? Imagine it was based on a true story.....................

[@melotrama5507]

In the scene after the restaurant, where Dean is waiting for Jesse. Dean asks if Jesse wants to be like the rest of the fashion industry to which she replies " I don't want to be like them, They want to be me."

[@TheRobotjane]

I came here four years late to say this😂

[@bewilderment6812]

I love these videos, keep up the great work.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Thank you! That is a really nice thing to hear at this stage.

[@hwoarangthedoorbell]

Another great video, NM. Keep it up. For what you should cover next, David Lynch films like Eraserhead or Mulholland Drive would make for some great 30-70 min analyses videos. It's a bit cliché, but The Shining is rife with symbolism and hidden meanings. For something a little more recent, Jordan Peele's Get Out tows the line of horror-comedy in the same way that Alan Resnick's work does. Not sure if you can get footage beyond the trailer or take the time to put together an analysis for something currently in theaters, but it's something worth mentioning. It could also get the channel extra exposure if it's a goal of yours.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

hwoarangthedoorbell Thanks for the suggestions! I just saw Get Out last Saturday and it was excellent. It is certainly worthy of consideration, but of course I have to think about whether or not my commentary is worthwhile. In general, all of your suggestions are films I've considered at some point. Sure, The Shining is somewhat cliché, insofar as there are a lot of theories out there. Room 237 comes to mind. There's nothing I love more than hearing all the theories about Kubrick's work, even if some of them are inane conspiracy tangents (sometimes those are the most entertaining, actually). But it's a great suggestion nonetheless, and I'm considering it. Thanks again!

[@hwoarangthedoorbell]

No problem! Keep doing what you're doing. FWIW, I think your commentary would be worthwhile on all 4 of those suggestions. Thanks for responding :)

[@delightfulkissboy8926]

Great stuff, man! I personally thought the summary was engaging and helpful, so I enjoyed that aspect of the video. If people aren't as much of a fan, maybe you could alternate between summary and analysis? As for recommendations for media to check out, I absolutely love the movie "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover." It's got some great visuals, grotesque scenes rooted in the abject, and quite a bit of room for interpretation. Keep it up!

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Good to know! And thank you for the suggestion. Never heard of that one, but I'll check it out.

[@nautilniemy8374]

Now you should analyse anime. Youjo Senki for example. Not because I'm a weeaboo but because it has similar takes as Neon Demon in terms of rotten society. Or more likely Rotten individuals. The series of 13 episodes just go into psychology of human nature with little bit of humor and fantasy acpects. Just try to bear with that. The main protagonist is a scum but not complete and his tragedy as a person is very present in the show. So...care to try?

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Nautil Niemy I'll check it out! Thanks for the suggestion.

[@nautilniemy8374]

Nightmare Masterclass thanks for responce. There are also militarny aspects in it. Fear not.

[@jesterpunk_]

i read the title of this video as "Lemon Demon" and now i really would love an analysis of Lemon Demon's "Spirit Phone" album 🙏

[@sandraleepitts]

Thank you for mentioning Titanic Sinclair with this. It is clear the Poppy project has alot based in this theme. And even if there is a spilt with him, after completing the latest record, the saga draws from this. The video he directed for Scary Mask was shot in the same house that Ruby invited Jess to. The video for I Disagree, also directed by him, has Poppy with a similar look as the as Sarah and Gigi in the final scenes . And the newer song, Anything Like Me , takes phrases from the film, even if they strangely relate to Poppy's actual journey .

[@firetarrasque4667]

I love how we have two horror analysts abbreviated to NM. Nightmare Masterclass and Night Mind.

[@nathanpietrykowski1528]

Dude! Refn, WCC, twilight zone!!! Keep doing these vids about all my favorite things.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Haha, will do!

[@alanscott4846]

I have thought the movie was simply a modern Vampire story, but could also be about how high society can eat people alive and get away with it, in this case literally.

[@discobiscuits4251]

More like witches I think

[@MoonDoon]

I don't want to be them, THEY want to be me.

[@Meanpooh]

These videos are better than the majority of movies out there with 50 million dollar budgets. Keep it up! I know you cant really put a price on a persons time but thank you for your hard work. Definitely a valuable asset to the KZbin platform IMO.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Thanks!

[@davidsirmons]

Haven't seen it, but my first reaction to even short clips here and there on YT assures me it's a scathing review of the modeling industry, almost entirely metaphorical.

[@JohnSmith762A11B]

Hypnotic and seemingly superficial, this is a movie that circles around the void at the centre of a glamour and celebrity-obsessed culture. Hollywood has long toyed with the demon, and invites us all to be as entranced by it as they are. If you want it reduced to a message: run from this demon or find yourself consumed as Jessie was.

[@greenhowie]

After watching the movie (and your analysis, of course) I was struck by how this feels like the flip-side of the horror movie Antiviral, a fantastic horror movie directed by... Brandon Cronenburg. Yup, David Cronenburg's son. The surreal irony of Lynch's spiritual successor and Cronenburg's literal successor portraying different aspects of the same culture is almost worthy of examination in itself. I know this is an old upload, but I hope you see this and consider Antiviral as Masterclass material, it's severely underrated and really deserves attention for the subtext alone, never mind the plot and disturbing imagery itself. Edit: shit shit shit I spelled Cronenberg wrong.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

woah, I did not know David Cronenberg's son was also a director. I'll have to check that out.

[@greenhowie]

@@NightmareMasterclass Wow, thanks for responding - I think you'll like it, and it should hopefully serve as ample Nightmare fodder. He's currently directing an interesting-sounding film called Dragon that reminds me thematically of David Firth's Cream... definitely one to watch.

[@jac1207]

it feels like there always someone walking out or boo'ing a film in these film festivals.

[@JohnSmith762A11B]

Status-chasers hunting opportunities to express righteous outrage are everywhere. They couldn't give a toss about cinema or art. They should always be shunned and ignored.

[@notimportant3686]

characters aren't "thinly developed"... they are one dimensional stereotypes... PURPOSELY... each one has one single role to fill and point to make

[@channelxl]

Interesting and well rounded analysis. Have you analyzed the recent production of Suspiria?

[@SendyTheEndless]

Utterly mesmerising film. It just... I can't stop watching it, no matter how uncomfortable it makes me.

[@xiomarafalanex1]

seriously have been watching this flick everyother night (@least) since i 1st saw it :) i think t.n.d. is more liken to films by gregg araki , specifically DOOM GENERATION/ and NOWHERE :)

[@charliedontsurf-y1d]

Me too, have watched it 5 times and still go back to it and can't stop thinking about, it really left a mark on my mind, totally love the cryptic symbolisms and cryptic scenes in this movie, like you say it is an utterly mesmerising experience, Jena Malone's character Ruby totally stole the show for me, she's so compelling to watch and is my favourite character in the movie, the director Winding Refn could make a sequel or a another movie delving more into her character and Sarah as a supporting role but can't see it ever being made unfortunately ) :

[@domc8625]

this movie is absolutely surreal, nice analysis man keep it up

[@FeralCreatureOfIncredibleRoses]

At 14:20, on either sides of the couch, they're 2 swastikas in the decorative wallpaper...

[@lelduck6388]

3*

[@TheA1M4fame]

Just got yourself a new subscriber! I looked up "Ozark Analysis" on KZbin and found your channel! Really loved your video on Ozark and have been binging a lot of your videos! Great stuff!

[@maxiusdavis1524]

I love that your title card thing looks like the Vampire the Masquerade book cover :D

[@TheMisfitPond]

Sweet video man! I like the background music you chose! This is my favorite Refn film and our analysis videos share a lot of the same opinions :)

[@DNTMEE]

The 3 antagonists are witches (real witches employing real magic) and everything they do is part of a month long ritual to absorb Jessie's beauty, and "it" quality. Which they do. The ritual also keeps them young, so they probably have to do it from time to time. But they have to have just the right sacrifice for it to work. A virgin, as usual, but also one who has fallen from innocence to become totally self absorbed. So they can't just do it whenever they want. When the right victim falls into their clutches, they must act right then or miss out for who knows how long. The rest is just artsy-fartsy window dressing. The director is probably laughing his ass off watching critics twist themselves in knots "finding" all the deep meanings and messages in the scenes. So, it's: Witches need victim to remain young and beautiful. Witches find victim and prepare her for the cannibalistic ritual at the next full moon. Witches get to carry on for some period of time until the need arises for another dose of youth and beauty tartar. That aside, I really like the movie and have put it on my personal 'Best Of" list. Right along with horror films such as "Susperia" (both the original and the more recent remake), "The Blackcoat's Daughter" aka "Feburary," "Chemical Peel," "Come Back to Me," "Who's Watching Oliver" and a host of others.

[@JamiHeart]

Making fun of Spicer.... Subscribed! ;) I really enjoyed your analysis. I have no doubts that this will be a cult classic someday. It's like Lynch and Dario Argento got together to do a movie. Beautiful.

[@beeztrapp1612]

Definitely a Lynch/Argento baby.

[@andreias5564]

the Néon Demon was the beauty of inside which makes someone dangerous. Jessy was dangerous in a symbolic and feminine way which had her killed by the other girls who were dangerous in a concret and masculine universe. The point of this movie is that it all happens in an extreme feminine universe where masculine do not take place; so death is not going to be destructive. Ruby, as a make up artist, built the myth that Jessy was the perfect ideal of beauty by killing her. This movie just shows that a shallow beautiful image is nothing to a person without any kind of personality and beauty of inside. Without it, she will be nothing. And she turned out to be nothing by the end.

[@raymondmarquez1525]

river water This is closest take I've heard to my own interpretation. I feel that Neon Demon explores the violence and motives behind it that women do to each other. And Drive is about the violence and motives of masculine violence.

[@spaghettifiedman]

Have you seen Hausu (1977), a surreal Japanese comedy horror. It's really fun and I think it fits in sort of your interests, maybe?

[@TheGuindo]

Oh shit yeah, Hausu would be a great one for this channel!

[@christinapaterno5585]

Not I love Hausu!

[@Rohini1993]

12:05 she doesn’t say “I want to be me” she says they want to be her

[@happierabroad]

Correction: Jesse said "I don't wanna be them. They wanna be me." Not "I wanna be me."

[@skaterccchick]

love this movie . and this video . Glad I found you , subscribed !!

[@highlonesomed]

Loved this movie, it wasn't fun for me to watch but that's okay. Really enjoyed hearing your take, glad Angie Speaks recommended your channel. One of the reasons I loved the movie is that it's also possible to look at the Neon Demon from an occult point of view, the film seems like it portrays a kind of dramatic ritual. It actually gets heavy handed when she draws that symbol on the mirror, it looks like a sigil straight from the Ars Goetia, the famous medieval grimoire that contains a list of demons/spirits and their sigils, and instructions on the ritual required to evoke them. And of course, each demon has certain jobs they can do for you (including attaining fame/riches/success, the kinda thing you'd expect a young model to wish for starting out) It kinda adds a whole dimension to the film if you're familiar with that strain of symbolism and ceremonial magic (Crowley's theory on the Goetia is probably a good place to start, considering Refn is a big admirer of Kenneth Anger, who's been practicing Crowley's school of occultism since the 40's. Crowley's theory is that these demons are portions of the subconscious, and when you do the ritual, you're putting yourself in an almost schizophrenic state temporarily and interacting with your own subconscious as if it were something external to you. i think it fits in pretty well with the movie).

[@fakeupchuck6073]

Please watch a film named A Shrew's Nest. I believe it's from Spain. There's a lot of deep themes and really interesting plot details that unfold to a great conclusion. I'd love to see you branch out, and get into foreign film. I've been reviewing horror for 12 years, and all of the really deep and vicious movies are always from other nations. French, Spanish, and Korean horror are all great in their own respective categories.

[@KermitHitler]

A unique, valid and fascinating analysis, thank you. What makes a film like this so interesting is that it is open to many different interpretations. This is what makes it a very valuable work of art.

[@MikeyReaper864]

You should do an in-depth analysis of the Horror film, High Tension.....

[@TL_oS]

I have been avoiding this film because of violent gore. I have read so much about it and been fascinated with it since it came out. Your video has decided me, I really do need to see it.

[@siresorb1419]

This sounds like a documentary for Hollywood illuminati.

[@AlexBaleFilms]

Thanks for introducing me to something I'd only heard of. You should consider doing what Night Mind does and discovering new undiscovered material that hasn't been picked apart by everyone already. You could say I've got something like that on my channel...

[@chrisshak5216]

Did you create the music for this? This is a wonderful piece of music. It should be released on a physical format.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Yep! soundcloud.com/nightmaremasterclass

[@chrisshak5216]

@@NightmareMasterclass This really is a brilliant piece of music. I listened to it again recently. Very talented musician. It works well with the sliding still images. You should release some of your music on cd.

[@noneofyourbusiness281]

This is an occult movie not a work of art. It’s a work of showing us how the occult works designed to make it seem like art.

[@pahzplace7853]

Lolololololololololololololololol younsaid a mouthful at 25:00!!! As you're the third person I have listened to that analyzed this video and the whole build up to tear down was what I instantly picked up. As the designer already knows how girls (or anyone that wants to be favored and liked in that industry acts/would act) if compared to and boldly told to their face that an "upper comer" is more beautiful than them or the epidemy of beauty. He knew what he was instigating. The best thing that she could have done was step back and see all of what she was experiencing for what it was and move forward in a different light. As there are those that will aim to superficially build your ego and without missing a beat fuck you over. But if you're wise to their ways, you're already well prepared! As the makeup artist was part of the instigating crew that played an important role in seducing her. Her game was beyond transparent and being that jesse was so young and obviously was somewhat damaged by whatever she went through in her own personal life, she fell for the whole, I'm so excited to see you hugs and kisses and constantly overstepping her boundaries by being all up in her face shenanighans. The whole tag team in the bathroom was basically them sizing her up in order to see how easy it would be for them to man handle her. Which is exactly why they wanted to know if she was fucking who she was fucking etc. Typical questions asked by those that desire to defile whatever person with some setup! It would have been interesting though, under all of her ignorance and inexperience about the games and mind games that's played to innocently beat them at their own game.

[@XManeatingxcupcakeX]

glad to see another good video!! i definitely appreciate this movie much more now maybe you can talk about some david lynch movies in the future? just a suggestion

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Dr Pupper Thanks! I will certainly consider your suggestion. I think it's just a matter of finding a unique angle on one of his films.

[@XManeatingxcupcakeX]

well you definitely had a unique angle on this film! and certainly on your other videos too. at first i only thought i liked this movie for its visuals and i didnt think much of the story but this really makes me appreciate it wholeheartedly now. good work!

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Dr Pupper Thanks for your words of encouragement! It's part of what motivates me to continue making videos.

[@jeffcd3559]

Given your analysis, which I found agreeable, it may be that the problem with the film was that using the fashion world as the setting was too much of a soft landing, hence burying the very distinctions you've pointed out by placing the viewer far too close in to have contrast enough to distinguish them.

[@feonjun]

I enjoy your videos and your in depth analyses. I hate walking out of a movie unhappy, and this movie made me unhappy.

[@quark6766]

You deserve more subscribers, Keep up the good work.

[@Nullium_MiM]

I believe the meaning of the movie is. That beauty lies within and lies outside of the person the other women where canned due to them being ugly on the inside while our protagonist was beautiful both in the inside and on the outside thus making the other women who where lacking that being beautiful on the inside envy of her thus killing her to try to gain her inner beauty. When she said i need to her out of me she kills herself due to her not being able to deal with the new feeling of inner beauty and giving unto guilt of killing and perverting the idea of inner beauty.

[@Nullium_MiM]

Thus true meaning of the movie is the perversion of the beauty the inner self

[@meeksperson-6081]

This film disgusts me, I used to really like it but I'm now realising how this film objectifys women and you can tell what the director was thinking while writing the film 'she's a THAT and those other THINGS want to be THAT' and this is my opinion of this film now and it disgusts me.

[@secretcanyon]

Can you analyze Stuntman with peter o’toole? Thank you

[@NightmareMasterclass]

now that's a deep cut!

[@Darth5idious]

These are really good videos. I am really enjoying them.

[@DawnHub666]

Play by play finishes at 14:30

[@thefrankart]

your videos are so cool, I wish you could cover "Donnie Darko & S Darko" you should also cover - "Eyes Wide Shut, Don't Hug Me I'm scared & Wonder Showzen"

[@ArnoGoldfinger]

Good bit of analysis, found the movie interesting symbolically. Despite all the vivid colours the movie was a bit bland . Along similar lines you might want to review Chinatown, 8mm or Nightcrawler.

[@andrewrobertson3894]

This was very good thanks but I need to re-watch Starry Eyes now lol. Have you seen the original "The Vanishing" aka Spoorloos? If not, I think you would really enjoy it.

[@borntowin4768]

ANALYZE THE "DUST" COLLECTION OF SHORTS

[@suf.8351]

I just found your channel and I really like your videos~, I hope you keep gaining subscribers because your videos are really well made

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Thank you! I appreciate your kind words.

[@ursa7762]

What's the song in the background?

[@drunken87]

I want to know it too!!!

[@LoverOfMuch]

AHHH SO EXCITED I FOUND YOU AGAIN! i was looking for your work on Wham City Comedy's productions, but i guess the search terms i used weren't good enough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ lucky i remembered your Neon Demon video and WaHoo! here it is!!! PHEW for while there, i was worried that you'd deleted your channel or something. i've learned my lesson and subscribed!

[@scandiumtrioxide]

Bit late, but just want to point out an error. 12:08 The line is "I don't want to be them; /they/ want to be me." Not "/I/ want to be me." Great analysis though.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Thanks! Yep, I realized this shortly after putting out the video. Just had a brain fart, I guess.

[@pahzplace7853]

Personally, I don't think the durector focused on anything odd or out the normal, being that in every industry, pretty much everywhere you go. The majority of people are basing their existence on something. Whether it be their profession, how many friends they know/have, how much money they have, where they lived and whether or not they're married or alone...........yeah I know that the latter is far fetched, but trust and know that there are those that either subject themselves to any kind of relationship and or will marry whomever that marries them soley to appear a certain way. ........as I know a few individuals as such. In regard to you saying there's way more to this film than meets the eye, I'm sure that there is. As most films are either compliments of what's already happened, (someones life) or wishful thinking/thought, etc. or insight into what's to come.

[@DawnHub666]

I think you could do a really nice video on ' The Witch - its amazing. Period drama. horror. psychology on beliefs and the psychology of real fear. Its really deep. Amazing period language. If you havnt seen it you really need to. I think it goes really deep into real beliefs and witch craft and the break down of a family. Its deep. That's all I can say.

[@dieharddemon8745]

DawntreaderUK omg, omg, I freaking love that movie....one of the best in a long time (besides babadook, it follows , and cabin in the woods)

[@teammunkeyhead]

Well done!

[@calibanxpable]

The story elements reflect the industry its depicting.

[@DjangoPorter]

i love refn movies style is substance

[@willknowsright9615]

Please make more of these

[@jhuniorrd8095]

Deberías de traducir tu video en subtítulos, tendría más visitas y podremos entender mejor tu análisis, de todas formas, buen video 👌🏻

[@AntonioKowatsch]

Elle Fanning is perfect looking.

[@kendallkeith]

He should do one with the movie starry eyes where this girl wants to be famous so she does a whole lot of crazy stuff.

[@charliedontsurf-y1d]

I concur, another movie or sequel could be made combining Starry Eyes and Neon Demon, focusing on the girl from Starry Eyes and Ruby and Sarah from Neon Demon

[@zogrimmwood]

I happened upon your channel by chance! And i've been looking for more youtubers that deal with horror, oddities and such. I like what your doing, and great analysis! As an amateur, I could learn from this, been thinking of maybe doing videos that cover ARGs i'm interested in, but it seems like a looot of work. But good luck with your channel! I'll definitely subscribe! And if you are into horror stories and the like, check out my channel :3

[@546-apoorvaranjan7]

Let's face it! If the topic were about a (so called) "masculine industry" like sports and aging or lacking sportsMEN were drinking the blood of a young naturally fit Usain Bolt-ish upcoming dude, people would be talking about how DEEP their fear of being discarded is and how cut-throat and pressurizing the industry is . But feminization of the same is BAD , trivial !!, witchy , just about aesthetics bla to the bla to the bla

[@karmaisspacingout9055]

wish i found you earlier! these are great. (~:

[@drinks_menu]

Honestly people who don't like this movie just don't get it. I found it very consice and smart, beautifully shot, and had a lot to say. That rotten tomatoes score is absolutely ridiculous.

[@jvnells8]

This video was excellent, but just like the film itself, definitely not for the general viewer. Your film summary dragged suicidally, and it wasn't until the last ten minutes that I felt myself getting more into your analysis techniques. This is incredibly and embarrassingly rude to say, but the first two thirds of this video were insufferable. I love your ideas and your analysis, but a trick you could work on is keeping the viewer engaged (although those text overlays did quite the job!). I would love to subscribe, but there's a lot more potential here and I want to see if it goes anywhere soon. Good effort!

[@NightmareMasterclass]

John Nelson You're not being rude. I can't get better without constructive feedback such as this. I seriously considered cutting the summary down, but I felt like my analysis didn't make sense without it. But perhaps I could have made it more concise. Anyway, I appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

[@DawnHub666]

It was just that you did a whole play by play for 15 minutes. Which was cool as a recap but it did drag.

[@agentjackstone3543]

@@NightmareMasterclass Im not embarrassed when I say that yhis guy has no patience. Your video is fine.

[@LoverOfManyArts]

i think this movie takes some inspiration from Mullholland Drive

[@beeztrapp1612]

Lynch is his own genre.

[@agentjackstone3543]

The quote "Underdeveloped plot and thinly written characters" when applied to Refns work translates to "Im too stupid to understand the plot or characters."

[@DjangoPorter]

its art it looks sounds and feels like t r ue art

[@dylanarmstrong2028]

Did no one else get American Psycho vibes?

[@NightmareMasterclass]

+Dylan Armstrong Yeah, I could see some similarities there.

[@dylanarmstrong2028]

If anything I think the book would have more than the movie

[@MrKarmapolice97]

I thought this movie was beautiful

[@tenten1834]

Elle Fanning is pretty but not that pretty.

[@brandonparker6696]

She had better self esteem

[@wclv1810]

Fucking cannibal supermodels, eating all the Daenerys Targaryen doppelgangers just cause they don't look like the Mother of Dragons. It's because of these assholes I can't get a hot girl friend. Eye'm 13 BTW. Anyways great video Nightmare Masterclass, Eye am going to stop pretending like Eye am Internet Comment Etiquette and Eye will look forward to the next video. BTW 7/11 was a Part Time Job and post.

[@vaporsaver]

I disagree that the dollar is valuable.

[@qtulod5833]

The dollar *IS* valuable

[@vaporsaver]

It is and it isn't.

[@TheDominiqueDivine]

Individual people. Stalk them

[@jakqatif]

U kinda just narrated a big part of the movie not analyzed it

[@implodingsoftly]

But if you don't feel like an educated critic why call it a masterclass?

[@xabtos]

ficshe because he is a master

[@NightmareMasterclass]

ficshe I am educated, just not in film theory.

[@implodingsoftly]

The video was good, and I've watched others, but that just stuck out as odd to say about yourself while doing a film review. like someone saying "even though I'm not a seamstress let me keep sewing your wedding dress while I tell you I'm not really good at it." it makes the viewer believe that statement just by saying it. I don't think your viewers would say that about you. knowmsayin?

[@NightmareMasterclass]

ficshe Ah, yeah. I get where you're coming from. The thing is, for the sake of intellectual honesty, I feel it's important to acknowledge that I'm not a film expert. People devote their entire careers to film theory and criticism. It is a specialized academic disipline. That's not me. I have a background in liberal arts, but by no means am I an expert on film. I thought it would be misleading not to state that in clear terms.