Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- hypnotic
- eerie
- brooding
- late night horror
- art house film night
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the film is seductively stylish and visually daring, while finding its plot underdeveloped and its characters thinly written.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Refn stages Los Angeles fashion spaces, motel interiors, and performances in vivid neon light with highly composed, glossy imagery.
Jesse's distinctive beauty triggers envy in Ruby, Gigi, and Sarah, whose desire to possess her advantage drives the conflict.
The modeling world rewards Jesse's appearance while exposing her to manipulation, sexualized scrutiny, and escalating rivalry.
The film combines fashion photography, seductive design, and shocking bodily imagery in an intentionally unreal register.
Films like The Neon Demon, and why
Perfect Blue
shared psychological horror, surrealism, beauty obsession, and grotesque critique of social ambition
Only God Forgives
shared neon-lit visual design, eroticized violence, psychological unease, and stylized thriller atmosphere
Black Swan
shared fashion-industry setting, erotic menace, female rivalry, and critique of narcissistic beauty culture
Starry Eyes
shared surreal horror, dark celebrity culture, body horror, and deliberately provocative imagery
Movie Details
- Director
- Nicolas Winding Refn
- Release Date
- 2016-06-08
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (4030)
Cast
- Elle Fanning
- Karl Glusman
- Jena Malone
- Bella Heathcote
- Abbey Lee
- Desmond Harrington
- Keanu Reeves
- Christina Hendricks
- Alessandro Nivola
- Charles Baker
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Darkroom, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Neon Demon about?
- A teenage model’s rise through Los Angeles fashion becomes a neon-soaked descent into envy, predation, and surreal horror.
- What is The Neon Demon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Neon Demon as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Neon Demon violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Neon Demon as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Neon Demon?
- Critics broadly agreed that the film is seductively stylish and visually daring, while finding its plot underdeveloped and its characters thinly written.
- Which films are like The Neon Demon?
- Films with a similar feel include Perfect Blue, Only God Forgives, Black Swan, and Starry Eyes.
- How long is The Neon Demon?
- The Neon Demon runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Neon Demon?
- In United States, The Neon Demon streams on Amazon Prime Video, Darkroom, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
