12 Brilliant Recent Horror Movies That Shocked Everyone
1. Mandy (2018)
Yes, this list does indeed include two Nicholas Cage films. (Three, if you count the brief reference to his bee-hating appearance in The Wicker Man remake.)
It turns out that Cage has quite a talent when it comes to psychedelic horror trips: his penchant for zany method acting might be controversial, but by hell does it make for an unusual and immersive experience.
Mandy pushes the boat out on anything he'd done before. This (literally) LSD-fueled, retro, (possibly) intergalactic revenge flick is not for the faint of heart. If you have any doubts that you could sit through two hours of Nicholas Cage getting high and chasing down/brutally murdering the super-powered goth biker gang responsible for barbecuing his girlfriend - the titular Mandy - steer clear. If, however, you think you could stomach such a thing, then it's worth the ride.
Mandy is a wild exploration of madness, sadomasochism, and cult behaviour wrapped up in an unusual aesthetic. It was a choice to make a film so oddly pretty, yet so violent, with a great deal of effort put into blood-red, 80s metalcore scenescapes.
Looks mean little without solid performances, and Cage supplies that in spades. It's a shame that one of his best performances is so relatively undergound: Mandy deserves even more attention than it got.