Starry Eyes is the film on this list that is perhaps most damning towards fame, casting the upper echelons of Hollywood as a literal cult and painting the hunt for fame as a body-decaying disease in gleefully Cronenbergian fashion. Under the guise of a body horror story, the film is a brutal, visceral dissection of the modern obsession with celebrity and the sacrifices necessary in order to gain fame. The film follows Alexandra Essoe as Sarah, who is an aspiring actress living alongside other wannabe performers in Los Angeles. She is offered the chance to audition for a new horror film and eventually meets the producer, who makes an indecent proposal as a "gateway" for her entry into the world of showbusiness. When Sarah accepts his proposal, her body begins to literally fall apart and she begins to ruthlessly murder the people who were previously her friends, as if to remove obstructions on her path to glory. As the film ends in a cult-like initiation, Sarah is reborn as a glamorous star ready for Hollywood. Starry Eyes is a smart movie that has plenty to say about the brutality of the Hollywood world and the lengths to which people must abandon their former selves to get ahead in the film industry.
Freelance film journalist and fan of professional wrestling. Usually found in a darkened screening room looking for an aisle seat and telling people to put away their mobile phones. Also known to do a bit of stand-up comedy, so I'm used to the occasional heckle.
