With its surrealist fangs firmly sunk into the neon-drenched pulse of 1980s Los Angeles, Flesh of the Gods is shaping up to be one of the wildest projects currently circling the Cannes market. Directed by Panos Cosmatos — the filmmaker behind the cult psychotropic revenge odyssey Mandy — the vampire thriller just took a major step forward with the addition of Elizabeth Olsen to its already electric cast, which includes Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac.
Written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en), from a story developed with Cosmatos himself, the film follows a well-heeled couple, Raoul (Isaac) and Alex (Stewart), who abandon their high-rise condo each evening to descend into a seductive underworld of decadence and danger. There, they encounter a mysterious woman (Olsen) and her entourage of pleasure-seeking misfits, and soon find themselves pulled into a glamorous, glitter-soaked spiral of hedonism and horror.
Producers describe the film as "wildly commercial" yet "wildly artful" — a duality that fits Cosmatos’ reputation perfectly. The director has promised a tone that is both "propulsive and hypnotic," likening the experience to a "hot rod joy ride deep into the glittering heart of hell." Given the legacy of Mandy's flaming hallucinations and the early promise of his debut Beyond the Black Rainbow, it’s not hard to imagine this new film being just as visually arresting — and narratively unhinged.
Though Cosmatos’ other project, Nekrokosm (produced by A24), is still lingering in early development, Flesh of the Gods appears to be accelerating. With a dream cast, a script from one of Hollywood’s darkest pens, and a director who knows how to turn mayhem into poetry, this is one nightmarish ride worth watching.
