Movies that influenced the cult hit Mandy
Sensitive love story meets bloody revenge tale meets face-melting acid trip in this modern cult classic.
From arthouse to shlock: These are movies that influenced Panos Cosmatos when he made Mandy.
From arthouse to shlock: These are movies that influenced Panos Cosmatos when he made Mandy.
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- DirectorPanos CosmatosStarsNicolas CageAndrea RiseboroughLinus RoacheThe enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance.
- DirectorRobert ClouseStarsBruce LeeJohn SaxonJim KellyA Shaolin martial artist travels to an island fortress to spy on an opium lord - who is also a former monk from his temple - under the guise of attending a fighting tournament."However, I would say that the fighting style for Red transforms quite a bit prior to him drinking the skull juice, which is a kind of a supernatural drug. Red is a much more ferocious, almost catlike fighter. I even looked at a Bruce Lee shot from “Enter the Dragon” and showed it to the cinematographer as well as to Panos, where the camera goes from a wide shot into an extreme close up of Bruce breaking somebody’s neck, and I said, "That’s a great shot. Let’s try and get that." I’m happy to say that something approaching that made it into the movie. But then after the skull juice, Panos wanted me to look at Jason [Voorhees] movies." - Nicolas Cage
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCharles BronsonHope LangeVincent GardeniaA New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad after his wife is murdered by street punks. In self-defense, the vengeful man kills muggers on the mean streets after dark."I watched all the Death Wish movies in a row, and over the course of watching them, I had time to meditate on the idea of making a film where the absence or loss of a person would be the core principle of the entire film." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorKen RussellStarsRoger DaltreyAnn-MargretOliver ReedA psychosomatically blind, deaf, and mute boy becomes a master pinball player and, subsequently, the figurehead of a cult."I wanted the film to have a rock-opera feel. I wanted it to be an audio-visual experience, like Ken Russell’s “Tommy”, something like that." - Panos Cosmatos
- CreatorPaul PlaydonRick RosnerStarsErik EstradaLarry WilcoxRobert PineThe adventures of two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers.Red: Knock, knock.
Mandy: Who's there?
Red: Erik Estrada.
Mandy: Erik Estrada who?
Red: Erik Estrada from CHiPs. - DirectorMike HodgesStarsSam J. JonesMelody AndersonMax von SydowA football player and his friends travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting the tyranny of Ming the Merciless to save Earth."He [Jóhann Jóhannsson] really understood the tone I wanted to achieve, the kinds of textures I wanted. Among the few touchstones I gave him, as an inspirational starting point, were the Queen soundtrack for ‘Flash Gordon’, and the Van Halen album ‘Fair Warning’, both released just prior to the film’s 1983 timeframe." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorTerry MarcelStarsJack PalanceJohn TerryBernard BresslawWith the aid of his companions, a man seeks to defeat his evil brother who has taken a nun hostage."I don't think of it as a horror film. I think of it as a fantasy film and a kind of rock opera. It has grotesque elements in it but the violence in the film to me feels like something out of "Hawk the Slayer" or something like that. The whole film is kind of a fantasy realm not a hardcore horror film." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellEllen SandweissRichard DeManincorFive friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons."One of the things I absorbed from my dad over the years was that the hero should always be an underdog. If they’re not an underdog, then you’re not going to care about them or fear for their well-being. So, Nic starts off as a seemingly normal man. In early drafts I perceived him as more of a more stoic type, but at the same time I also wanted to give him a kind of “Ash from The Evil Dead” quality, where you really feel his suffering." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorGerald PottertonJohn BrunoJohn HalasStarsRichard RomanusJohn CandyJoe FlahertyA glowing green orb that embodies ultimate evil terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories.the animated sequences
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsMel GibsonBruce SpenceMichael PrestonIn the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community to get rid of a horde of bandits."I’ve always loved Lynch and Jodorowsky, and George Miller, who made one of the first films I had the opportunity to watch a thousand times – Mad Max 2. I taped it off cable and played it until it literally wore out. I customised all my G.I. Joes in post-apocalyptic style and played Road Warrior." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsHarrison FordRutger HauerSean YoungA blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.the head-crushing scene
- DirectorJohn MiliusStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerJames Earl JonesMax von SydowA powerful warrior seeks to avenge the genocide of his people and the murder of his parents at the hands of a snake cult."I wanted the movie to feel like I felt when I looked at the Conan poster when I was a kid which was like, 'that's a fucking dangerous adult thing. It's not meant for me.' " - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorDon DohlerDave GeattyStarsTom GriffithJamie ZemarelKarin KardianA creature from outer space crash lands in a small town and starts killing people.This is the movie Mandy and Red watch while eating dinner.
- DirectorAlbert PyunStarsLee HorsleyKathleen BellerSimon MacCorkindaleA mercenary with a three-bladed sword rediscovers his royal heritage's dangerous future when he is recruited to help a princess foil the designs of a brutal tyrant and a powerful sorcerer in conquering a land."I didn’t want it to feel like a list of references as a film fan, although some of it was somewhat influenced by “The Sword and the Sorcerer”, the main scene of that film, and kind of the weird, amorphous vibe of “Conquest”." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorLucio FulciStarsJorge RiveroAndrea OcchipintiConrado San MartínA young man, armed with a magical bow and arrows, embarks on a mystical journey through a mystical land to rid it of all evil and joins forces with an outlaw to take down an evil witch bent on claiming the magic bow for evil."I didn’t want it to feel like a list of references as a film fan, although some of it was somewhat influenced by “The Sword and the Sorcerer”, the main scene of that film, and kind of the weird, amorphous vibe of “Conquest”." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsKen MarshallLysette AnthonyFreddie JonesA prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet, Krull.The axe Red Miller forges is called "The Beast" and looks similar to the axes from Krull. "The Beast" is also the name of the main antagonist in Krull.
- DirectorGeorge P. CosmatosStarsPeter WellerJennifer DaleLawrence DaneA man becomes destructively obsessed with killing a dangerous rat, which has taken residence in his recently renovated house."I mean, that’s my favorite of my dad’s films for sure." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorDanny SteinmannTom DeSimoneStarsLinda BlairJohn VernonRobert DryerA teenage vigilante seeks revenge on a group of violent thugs who raped her handicapped sister and killed her best friend.The use of a crossbow to exact revenge.
- DirectorLuca BercoviciStarsPeter LiapisLisa PelikanMichael Des BarresA young man and his girlfriend move into an old mansion home, where he becomes possessed by a desire to control ancient demons."We needed something to play on the TV when Nicolas Cage goes back into the house. We were going to find some pre-existing vintage commercial that we could license. I wanted it to be a moment where the horror and the absurdity of the universe slap him in the face at exactly the wrong time. And Cheddar Goblin was just a joke I started making in the production office with producer Josh Waller. There was a GIF I really loved from the movie Ghoulies, and we started riffing on a ghoulie that was vomiting green slime. After a while, I fell in love with the idea of a goblin that vomits mac & cheese. And I was like,'We got to make this happen in the movie.' " - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsIsabella RosselliniKyle MacLachlanDennis HopperThe discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child."Don't you fucking look at me!" - Frank in “Blue Velvet” and Jeremiah in “Mandy”
"I’ve always loved Lynch and Jodorowsky, and George Miller..." - Panos Cosmatos - DirectorGeorge P. CosmatosStarsSylvester StalloneBrigitte NielsenReni SantoniA tough-on-crime street cop must protect the only surviving witness to a strange murderous cult with far-reaching plans."When we began to discuss the film, I realized that Panos already had a very well-defined image of what his film would look like, with many references drawn from 1980s action films. Hitcher, Black Rain, Cobra, and Days of Thunder were some of the films that I never imagined I’d imitate or make adaptations of. Especially in a style and employing themes that are themselves distant from my earlier work!" - Benjamin Loeb
- DirectorToyoo AshidaStarsAkira KamiyaYuriko YamamotoKenji UtsumiIn a post-nuclear hellscape, a master of the deadly martial art "Hokuto Shinken" allies with two kids and an expert in "Nanto Suicho-Ken" to battle the tyrants who kidnapped his lover.When Loeb asked the director for a list of visual references, Cosmatos returned with The Hitcher (1986), Days of Thunder, Revenge (1990), Psycho III, the animated Fist of the North Star and Cobra. (https://ascmag.com/articles/mandy-edge-of-darkness)
- DirectorRobert HarmonStarsRutger HauerC. Thomas HowellJennifer Jason LeighA young man who escapes the clutches of a murderous hitchhiker is subsequently stalked by the hitcher and framed for his crimes."When we began to discuss the film, I realized that Panos already had a very well-defined image of what his film would look like, with many references drawn from 1980s action films. Hitcher, Black Rain, Cobra, and Days of Thunder were some of the films that I never imagined I’d imitate or make adaptations of. Especially in a style and employing themes that are themselves distant from my earlier work!" - Benjamin Loeb
- DirectorAnthony PerkinsStarsAnthony PerkinsDiana ScarwidJeff FaheyNorman Bates falls in love with a fallen nun who stays at the Bates Motel alongside a drifter and a curious reporter. Meanwhile, "Mother" is still watching.When Loeb asked the director for a list of visual references, Cosmatos returned with The Hitcher (1986), Days of Thunder, Revenge (1990), Psycho III, the animated Fist of the North Star and Cobra. (https://ascmag.com/articles/mandy-edge-of-darkness)
- DirectorClive BarkerStarsAndrew RobinsonClare HigginsAshley LaurenceA woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.the Cenobite-esque look of the bikers
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsNicolas CageHolly HunterTrey WilsonWhen a childless couple--an ex-con and an ex-cop--decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintuplets, their lives become more complicated than they anticipated.Nic Cage vs. evil biker
- DirectorJohn Carl BuechlerStarsTerry KiserJennifer BankoJohn OtrinJason Voorhees is accidentally freed from his watery prison by a telekinetic teenager. Now, only she can stop him."Our first conversation really was about creating a sort of path for the character from damaged, normal man to like the nerve of an animal. And that he transmogrifies into this curious, amused, Jason Voorhees, golem. [...] I gave him “Friday the 13th: Part VII” to watch, in light of his character’s last third of his arc." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsJames Le GrosReggie BannisterAngus ScrimmMike, now released from a psychiatric hospital, meets with Reggie, and discover his dreams (the events of the original film) are real, and they both journey to find and stop the evil Tall Man from his grim work.the chainsaw fight
- DirectorRobert BiermanStarsNicolas CageMaria Conchita AlonsoJennifer BealsAfter an encounter with a neck-biter, a publishing executive thinks that he's turning into a vampire.Panos Cosmatos' favourite Nic Cage performance
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMichael DouglasAndy GarciaKen TakakuraTwo NYC cops arrest a Yakuza member and must escort him when he's extradited to Japan."He was pretty specific about which films would be references for night exteriors, which would be for lenses, [and which for] day interiors. One detail in particular was the way an ND grad filter intrudes into the frame — a reference from “Black Rain”, photographed by Jan De Bont — and sometimes even over the actors’ faces." - Benjamin Loeb (cinematographer for Mandy)
- DirectorTony ScottStarsTom CruiseNicole KidmanRobert DuvallA young hot-shot stock car driver gets his chance to compete at the top level."When we began to discuss the film, I realized that Panos already had a very well-defined image of what his film would look like, with many references drawn from 1980s action films. Hitcher, Black Rain, Cobra, and Days of Thunder were some of the films that I never imagined I’d imitate or make adaptations of. Especially in a style and employing themes that are themselves distant from my earlier work!" - Benjamin Loeb
- DirectorTony ScottStarsKevin CostnerAnthony QuinnMadeleine StoweA retired US Navy pilot comes to Mexico, where he falls in love with the wife of a powerful businessman. The consequences will be cruel and unforeseen.When Loeb asked the director for a list of visual references, Cosmatos returned with The Hitcher (1986), Days of Thunder, Revenge (1990), Psycho III, the animated Fist of the North Star and Cobra. (https://ascmag.com/articles/mandy-edge-of-darkness)
- DirectorBill DukeStarsLaurence FishburneJeff GoldblumLira AngelA uniformed police officer is recruited by the DEA to infiltrate a drug smuggling ring looking to expand its operation."I really wanted an iconic actor there, and I was really excited that Bill Duke agreed to do that. As a director, I really love the film that he made called “Deep Cover”. Getting to talk to him about “Deep Cover” was awesome. Another movie about toxic male masculinity, and the terrifying journey and weird power dynamics." - Panos Cosmatos
- DirectorPhilip RidleyStarsBrendan FraserAshley JuddViggo MortensenA young man who has spent his life as a member of an ultraconservative Christian cult loses his parents and becomes disoriented, wandering into a forest and meeting a coffin transporter, a caring woman, her mute boyfriend, and his mother.Hubert Pouille was the production designer for “The Passion of Darkly Noon” and “Mandy”.
"He [Hubert Pouille] worked on a film that I really loved called “The Passion of Darkly Noon” that Philip Ridley made. That I think floated in the back of my mind in some way when I was writing Mandy. So it was kind of amazing to work with him." - Panos Cosmatos - DirectorJorma TacconeStarsWill ForteKristen WiigVal KilmerFormer special operative MacGruber is called back into action to take down his arch-enemy, Dieter Von Cunth, who's in possession of a nuclear warhead and bent on destroying Washington, D.C.this part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD76_5ZIol0
"Me and my wife are huge MacGruber fans. I thought a little bit of MacGruber would be appropriate there." - Panos Cosmatos