The Neon Demon
Where the DNA of The Neon Demon travels
Films that shaped it
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LWL: The film that comes to mind visually is Fellini’s 'Toby Dammit'. Was that an influence at all? NWR: Very much so. It’s an exquisite piece of filmmaking.
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I think what separates a cult movie is when you watch it, it makes you want to become a filmmaker. And that’s what Performance did to me, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Suspiria, and Taxi Driver. I mean, I’m a child of the ’70s, so that’s my upbringing.
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Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – This movie to me is where it all started. It’s the origin of the modern serial killer.
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My earliest memories are of watching movies like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Devils, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Suspiria. My mother was always interested in genre films that had a subversive quality, and I inherited that.
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The first scene that came to mind was from Ken Russell’s Altered States, which is a kind of trippy movie about a scientist trying to find an alternate state of mind using drugs and sensory deprivation. And I was like, “Oh, this is a great start.”
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My obsession with Dario Argento started really early on. I saw 'Tenebrae' when I was a kid and I just thought it was the most amazing thing.
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In terms of inspirations, I took out all my Manhunter DVDs... just to get back into that mindset. Those were some of the biggest influences [for The Neon Demon].
