Mandy: Psychedelic theories and possible explanations

Greetings, ghoulies!  Mandy. Wow, what a movie. Some of you loved it, some of you hated it, and some of you are just like me: “What did I just watch? Because I’m both confused and intrigued by it. I also had a good time. SOMEONE HELP ME!”

This article will indeed have spoilers, so read at your own risk.

Mandy seemed like, in my opinion, a love letter to Heavy Metal, Death Wish, Mad Max, and Hellraiser. “Why were there ATV riding demons that could be summoned by a conch? All that for a kidnapping? Oh, wait, those weren’t demons after all? What’s with the beautiful inter-cut 2D animations? Where are the police?! Is this post-apocalyptic or not?!”  Those were just some of my questions, the last one being “HE’S BEEN ON A DIFFERENT PLANET THE ENTIRE TIME?!”

I won’t get into a full-depth review here since I’m sure most of you reading this have seen the movie, so let’s just jump into it shall we?

1. The Film Was The Book Mandy Was Reading

As we all know, Mandy had a dark past. The unexplained scar on her face shows it. She’s an avid book reader and an artist. The post-credits scene shows her artwork, with Red (her hubby) and the tiger in the background that we had seen earlier in the film during his avenging. There was a camera shot that almost seemed like foreshadowing on a page of the book Mandy was reading. Was the audience tricked into watching a live-action adaption of the novel as being visualized by Mandy?

2. The Entire Movie Was a Drug-Induced Fever Dream

Drug use, particularly hallucinogens, plays a prominent role in this film. It was almost like there was an underlining message. The first time we see it used was when the “demons” drank an entire jar of an unknown substance. The second time we saw it was after Mandy is kidnapped and LSD is dropped into her eye. Red is stabbed in the side by a very large knife and is seemingly okay a little later. Did they drug him too? Is Mandy still a hostage for the cult leader while Red had died from his wounds?

The third theory is probably my favorite:

3. The Film is Lovecraftian and Does Indeed Take Place in Two Different Worlds

My friend Logan watched this film with me. He saw a discussion over on the Reddit forums about this masterpiece, and here’s what he found:

"“Based on the director’s last movie, Beyond the Black Rainbow, there may be a certain Lovecraftian bent to Mandy. Basically, the super-drug that the demons took, that Red also took and that the acid guy talks about, is something that allows transcendence briefly into the cosmic beyond. Seeing and experiencing something like that, when you come back to Earth, you are changed – and become a god, or become a demon. Superhuman and supernatural. So the demon bikers were transformed, and Red by the end was transformed, and thus the sky – he’s not just on the plane of earth, but in this cosmic plane at the same time.”"

The mysterious grey goo hallucinogen is an other-worldly substance that not only transforms you, but transports you into another reality while also making you a god. It fits with everything that we’ve seen, including that big “WTF” moment just before the end credits role.

Regardless of what’s true or not, this is a film that will be talked about for a very long time. Have a theory of your own? Let us know!